Newburgh paid firefighters have new contract

NEWBURGH – City officials are hailing a new contract between Newburgh and its paid firefighters as the dawn of a new era.
The city council approved the three-year agreement that saw respectful and cooperative negotiations, said City Manager Michael Ciaravino.
“We are proud of the relationships we established even when we were a little contentious and were not always agreeing and seeing eye to eye, we gave each other permission to keep the process authentic and at the end we were able to reach something that is mutually beneficial and maintains a mutual respect going forward,” Ciaravino said.
The contract runs from January 1 of this year through the end of 2017. In the first year, firefighters will see a one percent pay hike. In the second year, pay will increase 1.75 percent and in the third year, it will increase by two percent.