Geneva firefighters to get raises

Geneva firefighters and paramedics will receive pay raises of 2.25 percent starting Friday.

The city council approved the raises, for the fourth year of a four-year contract, Monday night.

Under the contract with Geneva Professional Firefighters Association Local 4287, firefighters starting at Level 1, the lowest level, will be paid $56,307 a year. Those who are also paramedics will make $59,265. Pay tops out at $86,784 for a firefighter/paramedic.

Level 1 lieutenants will make $87,226 a year. Those who are also paramedics will make $90,185. The highest pay for them is 103,934.

The council approved the contract amendment 9-0. Alderman Don Cummings was absent.

The contract covers 14 full-time firefighters. Geneva has authorized 20 full-time firefighters, but there is a vacancy. The council has authorized having up to 50 part-time firefighters.

That was different from April 20, when Aldermen Tom Simonian, Richard Marks and Cummings voted against a new four-year contract for police officers.

Simonian pointed out that in the previous police contract the annual pay raises exceeded the rate of inflation each year, and he criticized how much the city was paying toward the officers' pensions and health and dental insurance. He said the city was facing "a financial tsunami" if proposed cuts to its revenue from the state go through.

"It continues to show me the callous disregard of the police and fire unions for the taxpayer, who has to continue to foot these increases, or the cities that have to risk emergency funds, capital budget, infrastructure needs, human assets, economic development, etc. The many should not have to suffer for the few to prosper," Simonian said.

Other aldermen said they agreed with some of his points. However, they were concerned the city would end up in a worse position if the contract was instead settled by an arbitrator.