Boston EMS agreed to a contract with City Hall last night that will give EMTs and paramedics a 15 percent raise over six years at a cost of $11.8 million, officials said.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association EMS Division ratified the deal – which is backdated to 2011 and covers EMS workers until 2017 – by a vote of 198 to 20, union president James Orsino said.
‘We have always believed that the services we provide to the citizens of the city to be the most important element of any agreement,’ Orsino said. ‘The overwhelming vote of support in favor of this agreement reinforces that priority and shows that Mayor Walsh shares that vision.’
In exchange for the deal EMS workers will pay higher insurance premiums, agree to withdraw two pending cases against the city from the state division of labor, and settle a third.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s chief of staff, Joe Rull, said the agreement came following a long stalemate between the city and the union, who had been without a contract since 2011.
‘This was a team effort; we worked together to reach a deal at the table, avoiding potentially costly litigation, and agreeing to terms that are fair and beneficial to the City and to the union,’ Rull said. ‘I’m proud of the successes we’ve had resolving our labor contracts, and with each one, we have approached the discussions with mutual respect and trust as the highest priority.’
August 28, 2014
