Two outstanding issues have been resolved by unanimous motions in the Cincinnati City Council, delivering a hard-fought victory for Cincinnati Local 48.
Effective immediately, paid time off for medical treatment and fair pay through the “me too” clause settlement have been secured for members.
“Local 48 fought hard on both of these issues, and it has finally paid off,” Local 48 President Joe Elliott said. “We are very pleased with the actions the mayor and the city council have taken to reach resolution.”
One motion creates a new leave benefit so fire fighters with occupational illnesses like cancer won’t have to use paid time off for appointments.
Ohio has a cancer presumption law, but Cincinnati fire fighters were regularly denied workers’ compensation benefits, such as paid time off, forcing members to rely on personal leave for treatment and follow-up care.
“Dozens of our members are currently fighting for their lives because they contracted cancer from on-the-job exposures. Most are treated at the James Cancer Center or the Cleveland Clinic,” Elliott said. “Neither facility is very flexible about appointment times. You come when they tell you. Our members need to be able to attend those lifesaving appointments without worrying about whether they have enough leave.”
In the second motion, the council agreed to settle the lawsuit filed by Local 48 after the city failed to comply with a contract clause that calls for pay parity with the police.
My thanks to President Elliott and his team for their leadership. Their effort ensured our members have the cancer treatment leave they deserve for their service and that the city met its responsibility under the “me too” clause. It’s a good reminder of why having a strong union matters.
8th District Vice President Mark Sanders
The contract provision known as the “me too” clause requires the city to match any pay increase negotiated by Cincinnati police union with an equal raise for the fire union.
So, when the police contract called for an extra pay raise for its officers with five years of experience or more, the fire fighters asked for the same increase.
Specifically, the police contract called for experienced officers to receive a 7% increase for the first year and 5% for the second and third years. Newer officers received 5% for the first year, 4% for the second, and 3% for the third.
Fire fighters were offered the 5/4/3 across the board.
Local 48 raised the issue but were denied by the city. They filed a grievance and then a lawsuit. The arbitrator ruled for the fire fighters, awarding more than $12 million. Still, the city appealed the decision.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Local 48 considered issuing a vote of no confidence against Mayor Aftab Pureval, the city manager, and the fire chief. The move reflected a breaking point after months of stalled negotiations and repeated delays in honoring the union’s contractual rights.
Hearing this, Pureval reached out to Local 48 leadership and asked what actions were needed to prevent the vote.
“We told him we needed him to honor the ‘me too’ clause in our contract and to make fire fighters diagnosed with cancer not have to exhaust all their personal leave to get treatment and go to follow-up appointments,” Elliott said.
The mayor agreed.
“My thanks to President Elliott and his team for their leadership,” 8th District Vice President Mark Sanders said. “Their effort ensured our members have the cancer treatment leave they deserve for their service and that the city met its responsibility under the ‘me too’ clause. It’s a good reminder of why having a strong union matters.”
