Category: News || By Jason Togyer

The union representing McKeesport firefighters has given the city a little more breathing room on staffing issues and insurance.

In turn, the city has approved a five-year contract extension with members of Firefighters Local Union 10.

"We care about the city we live in," says Jerry Tedesco, union president. "We live here, we work here and we don't want to put the city into a bad position."

Mayor Mike Cherepko calls the contract extension, unanimously approved last week by city council, a "win-win" and "admirable and respectable" by union members. The city expects to save "about $100,000 a year" as a result of the deal, he says.

"I'm very pleased that we had a department step up and work with the city and resolve issues that were becoming very costly for the City of McKeesport," Cherepko says.

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Both the mayor and Tedesco agree that in exchange for the contract extension through December 2019, the union gave ground --- allowing increased use of part-time firefighter and lowering the staffing requirement at the Downtown fire station from four firefighters to three.

In addition, firefighters will contribute up to 3 percent of their base salary to pay for health insurance, Tedesco says.

"It was a tough sell to our membership," Tedesco admits.

Council's vote last week also resolves a pay dispute that had been lingering between the union and the city. An arbitrator last year ruled that firefighters were owed "a substantial amount" of overtime pay, Tedesco says.

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"It was their earnings," Cherepko says. "It was a large number that was supposed to go into their paychecks, and that's why I find it so respectable and admirable, that they were willing to give that up."

"Both of us were in an extremely difficult position," Tedesco says. "We knew if they had to pay that back pay, it would put the city in a bad financial position and therefore put us in a bad position ... we care about the city we live in."

The union has given the city the flexibility to use additional part-time firefighters. Those part-timers will be part of the bargaining unit.

Other unions, including Teamsters Local 205, which represents city police officers, have also been "coming to the plate and working with us," Cherepko says. "All of these people are to be commended for going above and beyond."