Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved budget changes to cover the cost of a new contract with the city’s firefighters.
The city and the union reached the deal late last year. It includes pay raises, new parental and pregnancy leave policies and upgrades to fire stations. The contract covers the next five years with members of Pittsburgh Fire Fighters, IAFF Local No. 1.
Council in January unanimously ratified the new contract. Their vote Tuesday was a procedural move amending the city’s budget to allocate funding for the updated pay rates.
“This agreement ensures that the brave men and women of our Fire Bureau are fairly compensated for the vital and dangerous work they do keeping our residents safe, while giving the city the opportunity to structure work rules and promotions in a way that will improve the fire service,” Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement after the new deal was announced.
The contract also includes schedule changes and “strategic repositioning” of the bureau’s highest-ranked officers, according to union president Ralph Sicuro.
There are 679 full-time positions in the fire bureau in the 2024 budget.
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• Pittsburgh firefighters finalize new contract with city
