Board of Aldermen 6-23-2020 Page 38
Alderman Lopez
| guess my last question is the step improvements they get for being here longer, are those competitive do
you happen to know, for New Hampshire?
Mr. Griffin
| wouldn’t know if they are competitive, but in the particular Collective Bargaining Agreement they are laid
out pretty effectively. Folks on the meeting here know a lot more about it than! do. I’m not sure if they are
the same as other firefighting units in New Hampshire.
Alderman Lopez
My fault for not looking it up first. | guess for my own comments all | can say is that this isn’t any easier. |
am acutely aware of the irony right now that our number one disaster preparedness plan is coming into
conflict with our anticipation of economic disaster. So | really don’t have any idea where to go from here.
Thank you, President Wilshire,
President Wilshire
Alderman Lu, did you have your hand raised?
Alderwoman Lu
Yes, | did. It’s been so long though, thank you, Madam President. | just wanted to emphasize that the one
really logical way of looking at this to me is just to look at apples to apples. | do see, it does look to me that
over the last 10 years, this contract would put the increases over time at parity, pretty much parity with the
Police Department. But | really don’t think that’s an appropriate way to look, | mean | think you have to look
at what the actual salaries are. And | think that Alderman Jette did us a great favor by looking into, | mean |
think that’s the only way to assess this, is what do other Fire Departments pay? And | think that’s an
important question but | think that determines my feelings on this.
And | also just wanted to point out that in this Fiscal situation that we are in, | don’t want anyone to feel, it’s
the first contract we have come upon this year since COVID-19. So it is very contentious, | mean, | would
love to vote in favor of this contract. But as some point we have to exercise our Fiscal restraint, | feel. |
wish it was a shorter contract, because then there would be less risk there. But it is not a punishment, ok?
Whatever we decide, if we were to vote against it, | just want to emphasize that there’s no punishment
here at all. For me, it’s looking at cost of living increases and are you asking for more than that. And if you
are, then we have to weigh that against the people who are paying these salaries. And if they are not
getting a comparable cost of living increase in their salary, which we pretty much know no one is, then why
should we fund this? Thank you.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Madam President. | speak on using compatibility but | am going to choose not to. | will reserve
my comments of comparing to the end because | really do have an issue with apples and oranges. | know
the difference. Thank you.
Alderman Tencza
Thank you, Madam President. Just to clarify a few comments and questions that were asked before. First,
this would not bring parity between the Police Department and Fire Department. Over the years, the Board
of Aldermen have raised the salaries for the Police Department for the Police Patrolmen’s’ Union at a
greater rate than they have for the Fire Department. So a second-year officer in the City of Nashua right
now is going to make more than someone who has been on the Fire Department for 4 years.
