Council approves firefighters’ contract
By Terry Murry on Friday, April 7th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council has approved a contract with the local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters. City Manager Robb Corbett said the union and management worked hard to come up with an agreement acceptable to both sides.
The contract was first discussed during an executive session Tuesday, At the end of the regular meeting the council chose to put it on the record and approve it the pact which calls for a three percent cost of living adjustment in each of its three years.
“I’m really pleased with the way the negotiations went this year and I think that’s a testament to the leadership of the union and also the management of the department,” Corbett said.
In a separate move, the city has approved hiring three new paramedics. Mayor John Turner said the public might not be aware of how busy the ambulance service is.
“In the previous month there were only eight calls for fire service,” he said. “There were 217 calls for emergency medical service.”
Turner said the extra positions are being made possible because extra funding for ground ambulance transports is being made available from the state of Oregon.
