NORTH ANDOVER — A new work schedule for firefighters featuring 24-hour shifts will be implemented this summer, according to town firefighters union president Barry Sullivan.
The scheduling change is part of a new four-year contract that Sullivan said is now being finalized with a state arbitrator. Sullivan said the new contract also includes salary concessions and increased employee contributions for health care.
Sullivan's represents the roughly 50 members of the North Andover Firefighters Local 2035, whose last contract with the town expired in June 2008.
North Andover officials said they don't want to comment on any provisions of a new contract before a formal arbitration decision is issued.
Under their current schedule, firefighters work two consecutive 10-hour day shifts, then two consecutive 14-hour night shifts, followed by four days off.
Sullivan said the new schedule will also follow an eight-day format, but firefighters will instead work a 24-hour shift to be followed by one or more days off. Other area fire departments already use similar 24-hour shift schedules.
Sullivan said concerns remain over how the scheduling change will be worded in the new contract. The Massachusetts Joint Labor Management Committee is serving as arbitrator.
"What's holding things up is language concerning the change," said Sullivan. "We feel it was already settled and they (town management) don't.
"Everybody's trying to dot the I's and cross the T's and they want to dot the I's a certain way and we want to cross the T's a certain way," said Sullivan, a 20-year veteran of the fire department. "In contracts, it all really depends on how you say it."
Assistant Town Manager Ray Santilli said North Andover officials will wait for a formal arbitration decision before commenting on a new contract.
"Until then, there's nothing," said Santilli. "There's no comment from the town until the JLMC decision is issued."
Added North Andover Town Manager Mark Rees in a statement released Friday: "It would be inappropriate to comment on any of those proceedings given that they have not yet progressed to a stage where they can be made public."
Santilli said the town has requested that the JLMC decision be issued before Town Meeting on May 11. Voters there must approve the contract because it covers a prior year.
Sullivan said the new contract covers last year, this year and fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
Sullivan said firefighters have agreed to "multiple zeroes" in regard to annual salary increases, but he would not elaborate on which years the union accepted zero raises.
Sullivan said the firefighters union has also accepted health insurance concessions similar to those agreed to by North Andover's two police unions.
Selectmen ratified new three-year contracts on Feb. 22 with the unions for police lieutenants and for patrol officers and sergeants.
By the time their new contracts expire in 2012, police officers will have increased their health insurance contributions to 25 percent. They currently pay 15 percent.
"We've been in talks for over 18 months," said Sullivan of the arbitration process with JLMC. "We understand that everybody had to take a bit of the apple."
