07/15/1980 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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( t ? ? o# Nvr#4 oDlnte#tb OHIO 44070 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR ROBERT W. SWIETYNIOWSKI MAYOR T0: NORTH OLMSTED CITY COUNCIL FROM: ROBERT W. SWIETYNIOWSKI, riAYOR DATE: JULY 11, 1980 RE: VETO OF ORDINANCE N0. 80-71 Dear Mrs. Campbell: Phone: 777-6000 I am returning to you Ordinance No. 80-71, which I am vetoing. Before I state my reasons £or this veto, I wish to make it clear that I, as Mayor, and the entire community, totally support and deeply ap- preciate the skills and dedication of the men who serve this community as Firemen and Firemen/Paramedics. Their value has no price tag, since there is no way to place a dollar value on the saving of human lives. When negotiations with the City's Fire Department were conducted, the negotiators for both sides came to the negotiating table in good faith. Each side understood that wage increases must by necessity be limited, due to financial constraints. Wages for Firemen/Paramedics employed by the City of North Olmsted com- pare very favorably with those paid to similar employees in other com- munities. Wages for Firemen/Paramedics are the same as those paid to Police officers with similar service time and rank. Because these wages are already very competitive, I believe that they are fair and in line with what is equitable. I am concerned with the form of Ordinance 80-11, which grants "addition- al compensation at the rate of $400 annually for all time spent as Fire man/Paramedic" only to those Paramedics on the payroll as of August 1, 1980, and not to those hired after August 1. New employees would be understandably troubled by the disparity in pay for this special quali- fication. If we are to remain in step with contemporary community needs, I believe that all Fire department personnel should become trained Paramedics. If and when we reach this goal, their wages should remain competitive, as they are today. But I do not believe that "bonus payments" to a select few are the answer.