Presenter
Presented by Mr. Hertzberg
AS AMENDED BY SUBSITUTE
Title
Ordinance amending the current Act 47 Plan and authorizing the Mayor and the City Solicitor to enter into an Agreement with the IAFF Local #1.
Body
WHEREAS, the City is currently party to an arbitration award with Pittsburgh Fire Fighters IAFF Local No. 1 (“IAFF Local #1”) which expires December 31, 2005, which contains a reopener regarding certain issues including health care benefits for the year 2005; and
WHEREAS, the City was characterized as a “distressed municipality” by the Commonwealth's Department of Community and Economic Development (“DCED”) pursuant to the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, Act of July 10, 1987, No. 47, 53 P.S. 11701.101 (“Act 47”); and
WHEREAS, DCED appointed a coordinator (the “Act 47 Coordinator”) who, in due course, prepared a financial plan (the “Act 47 Plan”) which was duly adopted by the City by Ordinance enacted June 29, 2004 and approved by the Mayor on June 30, 2004; and
WHEREAS, according to the Act 47 Plan and Act 47, all prospective labor contracts were and continue to be required to comply with the recommendations set forth therein; and
WHEREAS during the course of arbitration with IAFF Local #1, it became apparent that the City may not be permitted to obtain the wage reduction that the Act 47 Plan had required; and
WHEREAS, during the course of arbitration with IAFF Local #1, it became apparent that notwithstanding the Act 47 Plan, the City was beginning to acquire an enormous overtime burden as a result of a large number of firefighters retiring;
WHEREAS, during the course of arbitration with IAFF Local #1, the arbitrators urged both the City and the IAFF to explore the feasibility of reaching a longer term contract that would result in savings to the City while maintaining a standard of safety and fairness to the firefighters;
WHEREAS, the City and the IAFF Local #1 worked a tremendous number of hours attempting to negotiate an agreement and a five (5) year agreement was reached between the City and the IAFF Local #1 based upon recommendations of the City's budget department;
WHEREAS, the Secretary of the DCED as well as the Act 47 Coordinators reviewed the five (5) year agreement between the City and the IAFF Local #1 and agree that the agreement is generally consistent with the Act 47 Plan and should be approved; and
WHEREAS, the City believes that the five (5) year Agreement reached with the IAFF Local #1 and the City meets the financial benchmarks set by the Act 47 Plan and the ICA's five (5) year budget and is in the best financial and public safety interest of the City.
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. Pursuant to Section 249 of Act 47, 53 P.S. § 11701.249, and with such clarifying amendments to the budget resolution as shall be submitted by the Mayor and which accurately appropriate budgetary modifications required herein, the Act 47 Plan is hereby amended to adopt the five (5) year agreement reached between the City and IAFF Local #1, attached hereto as Exhibit #1.