Ventura officials have negotiated a new labor contract that would give sworn firefighters raises and a costly pension upgrade at a time of struggling city finances.
Officials say the enhanced benefits unveiled Wednesday are necessary to recruit and retain a work force in an area where other agencies offer sweeter compensation packages.
But promising more money won’t guarantee firefighters will stay, critics say, and it will commit taxpayers to spend thousands more on a state retirement system at a time when the city has struggled to balance its checkbook.
The biggest change in the contract is that it would give firefighters one of the richest pensions the state system offers. In pension shorthand, it’s known as “3 percent at 55,” because a rank-and-file firefighter can retire at age 55 with a pension equal to 3 percent of his or her last year’s pay multiplied by years of service. If a firefighter began work at age 25 and retired at 55, that would be 3 percent times 30 years — or a lifetime pension equaling 90 percent of the final-year salary.
Current plan is 2% at 50
Ventura currently offers 2 percent at 50 years. Oxnard, following some other agencies, adopted the more lavish “3 at 50″ in 2005. The Ventura County Fire Department, the largest fire agency, which serves several cities, uses an independent retirement system and offers 2 percent at 50 but allows a person’s final-year figure to include base pay, on-call pay, vacation cash-outs, shift differentials and some other benefits. Added up, it’s considered the equivalent of 3 percent at 50, said Jenny Roney, the city of Ventura’s human resources director.
The Ventura City Council will consider the proposed contract on Monday. The union, the Ventura City Firefighters Association, already has agreed to the terms.
If approved, the pension increases would take effect July 1, 2009, at an additional annual cost of $570,000. Salary increases and bonuses would take effect Jan. 1.
west coast 911 firefighter news source – Ventura County Star
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