Carpentersville expected to OK fire union deal Wednesday

The Carpentersville village board is scheduled to vote today on a contract settlement for full-time firefighters, and Village President Ed Ritter predicts it will sail through with ease.

“I think it’ll be a unanimous vote and I think the board is satisfied that this is a good deal for both sides, that we’re getting some of the things we need, that they’re getting some protection that they wanted and it’ll go fine,” Ritter said.

The settlement requires that the village use a daily minimum of eight full-time firefighters spread among the three stations — the village now staffs according to daily demands — and in exchange, the village can use as many part-timers as officials need.

“Before, they had limitations as to how many they could use,” union president Rick Nieves said. “It’s a step in the right direction, but we’ve still got some more work to do, so it’s good.”

In exchange for adopting the settlement, the union would drop the six grievances it filed against the village related to staffing and seniority issues, Nieves said.

The board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at village hall.