BOARD SET TO VOTE ON FIRE PACT PARITY REQUIREMENT DROPPED.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer The Ventura County Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. is set to vote Tuesday on a 30-month contract that would bring a 7 percent pay increase to the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association over the next two years. Association members already have voted to approve the contract, known as a Memorandum of Agreement A memorandum of agreement (MOA) or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed upon objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties. . The previous contract expired June 30. ``We're satisfied,'' said Chris Mahon, president of the association. ``We're not completely happy, but you never get everything you want in a negotiation.'' The contract eliminates the need to achieve parity - pay equal to that of six other fire agencies in Ventura, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. counties - for the first time since 1999. Eliminating the parity requirement was essential in light of the current county budget crisis, said John Nicholl, a chief deputy executive officer. ``We need an agreement that allows us the flexibility to live within current budget constraints and still allow us to recruit and retain quality people,'' Nicholl said. ``This way, we won't have to be in lockstep lock·step n. 1. A way of marching in which the marchers follow each other as closely as possible. 2. A standardized procedure that is closely, often mindlessly followed. Noun 1. with other employers.'' Firefighters received a 41.5 percent pay increase between 1999 and 2003 that brought them to parity with the six neighboring agencies, Nicholl said. Fire engineers and inspectors received a 38 percent raise during that same period, and fire captains received a 39 percent increase, he said. Firefighters would receive a 1 percent pay raise in July, a 2 percent increase in January and a 4 percent increase in July 2005 if the contract is approved. The 392-member association represents firefighters with the Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. and the Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. Fire Department. Both sides negotiated the contract for seven months, even as wildfires raged in eastern Ventura County in October, Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said. ``This was one of the smoothest negotiations in many years,'' Roper said. ``There was no contention on either side.'' Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7604 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com |
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