Fall River City Council votes to adopt FRFD contract and to fund arbitration award

The Fall River City Council unanimously agreed at their meeting Tuesday night to accept the contract between the city and it’s fire department as well as to appropriate money to fund the agreement.

IAFF Local 1314 Union officials and the city were unable to come to an agreement on the contract and it moved it to arbitration this past summer.

The neutral tripartite panel has issued a decision, which tonight had full support of the nine-member city council. The council appropriated 2.5 million dollars from the city stabilization fund that, along with previously budgeted funds, would cover the complete cost of the contract.

Mayor Coogan sent a confidential, now public letter to the council this past fall in what some felt was an attempt to influence the council to vote against the award.

In an interview with Fall River Reporter, Coogan said that he “made a mistake” and should not have included the parts of the letter comparing the Fall River Fire Department contract to those in other cities or to the City of Fall River Police department.

Mayor Coogan was in attendance at tonight’s meeting to issue citations to retiring city councilors Leo Pelletier and Pam Laliberte and was seen shaking hands with IAFF Local 1314 Union President Jason Burns outside council chambers.

Prior to the vote, Fall River Reporter spoke with Coogan and asked if he had sent over a formal apology to the members of the department in regard to his letter.

“No, it’s not that kind of thing. You saw me talking with Jay Burns, we’re all okay.”

When asked if he thought the city council was going to vote in favor of the contract award and funding, Coogan believed they had the votes.

“I would be surprised if they didn’t approve it.”

The Fall River Fire Department has been without a contract since 2021. This is the first time in the Coogan administration that the administration was unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with one of it’s unions.

The decision will award the Fall River Firefighters a three-year contract covering July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024, with wage increases of 4% effective July 1, 2021, 4% effective July 1, 2022, and 4% effective July 1, 2023. The union will be back at the table to negotiate a new contract again next summer.