By Kevin McCallum
Staff Writer
July 1, 2004
STAMFORD -- The Board of Finance last night unanimously supported extending, for one year, the contract with the city's downtown firefighters.
The existing three-year contract with Stamford Firefighters Local 786 expired yesterday. The contract does not include any of the "big five" volunteer companies.
The extension will give firefighters another year with a 3 percent raise. The rest of the terms of the contract will remain the same, city attorney Tom Cassone told the board.
The extension was necessary because the city could not re-negotiate a new contract until it hires a new labor negotiator, a process that could be completed next week, Cassone said.
Mayor Dannel Malloy recently selected a former Bridgeport official to replace Bill Stover, the former director of Human Resources, who died in January after a short battle with cancer.
The appointment of Dennis Murphyneeds the approval of the Personnel Committee of the Board of Representatives and the full board, both of which are expected to vote on the matter Tuesday, Cassone said.
The 48-year-old attorney and Bridgeport resident served as labor negotiator and later chief administrative officer in the city from 1991 to 2002.
Cassone said there were no pressing labor issues with 238 downtown firefighters, and their officials agreed to the extension.
No board members opposed the extension.
The board voted 6-0 to issue a positive advisory opinion on the extension.
In addition to Murphy's contract, the Personnel Committee and full Board of Representatives will consider the contract extension Tuesday.
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