A new agreement for Riverview Fire and Rescue members has been approved by town council.

The four-year deal with IAFF Local 2549 includes a wage increase of 18.75 per cent for firefighters and paramedics.

Members will get an increase of 6.5 per cent in 2025, followed by 4.5 per cent in 2026, 4.25 per cent in 2027 and 3.5 per cent in 2028.

Ahead of Monday’s vote, Coun. Cecile Cassista commended staff for reaching an agreement with the union without arbitration.

“When I came on council in 2012, that wasn’t the norm. I want to really commend the staff for staying away from that and building a relationship with our fire department,” said Cassista.

Town staff said the main financial issue during this round of bargaining was wage alignment.

A 2012 arbitration ruling said Riverview’s firefighter compensation should fall between 91.15 and 94.55 per cent of Moncton’s salary levels.

“In the past two agreements, the Town maintained alignment at the lower end of this range (91.15%) by matching Moncton’s settlement patterns,” said a staff report to council.

“In this round, the IAFF had a firm position where it needed movement within the established range.”

Riverview’s firefighter compensation will reach 93.07 per cent of Moncton’s by the end of the four-year term, said the report.

The year one increase is slightly higher than the six per cent the town had budgeted for, but staff said they will be able to find the difference in the overall budget.

Both sides also committed to further discussions on several topics, including future staffing considerations, the use of personal phone apps to improve the callback process, enhanced mental health support options, mandatory training requirements and the short-term benefits program.

The new collective agreement will be good through March 31, 2028.