After hiking police pay to recruit more officers, Cleveland is giving firefighters a raise, too.
The firefighters’ latest contract will net them a 12% raise, followed by 3% raises in each of the next three years, for a total of about 21%. The starting rate will be $77,739, the chief said. The city also committed to raising academy pay, International Association of Firefighters Local 93 leader Jake Konys said.
Union members have approved the contract. It will retroactively go into effect April 1 once City Council passes it.
Mayor Justin Bibb celebrated the deal at a news conference Monday afternoon with union and fire leadership at Fire Station 1 downtown.
“This contract represents more than numbers on a page,” Fire Chief Anthony Luke said. “It represents a renewed commitment to the brave firefighters, the men and women who serve and protect this city every single day.”
Firefighters, police and EMS have all gotten contracts with raises
Public safety is the biggest department in the general fund budget, and City Hall has been putting more money behind safety forces lately. Like the firefighters, police officers and EMS workers received raises in their recent contracts. The EMS contract was agreed upon after arbitration with the city.
Although Bibb has warned that Cleveland faces financial headwinds from federal cuts, he said Monday that the city “found the money to make this deal pencil.” He credited years of balanced budgets for making it possible for his team to pay firefighters more.
“We’ve been able to have the right resources to bear to have these historic investments in public safety,” said the mayor, whose late father worked as a firefighter and police officer in Cleveland Heights.
Cleveland has struggled to hire enough police officers to keep pace with resignations and retirements. Since 2022, officers have seen a 34% pay increase, Bibb said Monday — part of the city’s effort to hire more officers and keep them from leaving.
Meanwhile, firefighter staffing has grown over the last several years. Cleveland employs 738 firefighters, up from a recent low of 669 at the end of 2021. There’s room in this year’s budget for 757 firefighters.
Still, the fire chief said that younger generations aren’t as interested in becoming firefighters. When he was hired three decades ago, as many as 3,500 might show up to take the civil service test, Luke said.
“Now, they announce a test, if we get 1,000, we’re really doing good,” Luke said.
