Uniformed Firefighters Association, City Reach Agreement On 7-Year Contract
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The year's long feud between City Hall and firefighters over a new contract is over.
As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy said the seven-year deal calls for an 11 percent raise and restores disability benefits for firefighters hired when the union was without a contract.
"We can't have firefighters running into burning buildings saying to themselves 'what happens if I get hurt today? Who's going to take care of my family,'" Cassidy said. "We felt compelled to resolve it no matter what."
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the contract fundamentally fair.
"It is a good deal for the men and women of the UFA. It is a good deal for the people of New York City," the mayor said.
The contract still needs to be ratified by the union's 8,000 members.
Albany lawmakers will have the final say on the change to disability benefits, but Cassidy said he doesn't believe that will be a problem.