A proposed three-year employment agreement with Topeka firefighters is among matters being considered when city and county elected officials hold their regular meetings this coming week. The city’s mayor and council on Tuesday will consider approving a contract covering the years 2019 through 2021 with Topeka firefighters represented in collective bargaining by Local No. 83 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The proposed agreement would increase base pay for beginning firefighters this year by 9.8 percent, to $15 an hour from $13.66 an hour, and would otherwise provide pay increases of 2 percent in 2019, 2 percent in 2020 and 3 percent in 2021. It would also phase in certification requirements for promotions.
The proposed agreement comes before the mayor and council at a time when Fire Chief Craig Duke plans to transition his department next year from providing mere emergency medical services to providing advanced life support.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)