MIDDLETOWN – Paid firefighters in Middletown now have a contract, the first one since the previous agreement expired at the end of 2012.
The common council approved the eight-year agreement Tuesday night.
It includes pay raises and employee contributions toward health benefits.
Mayor Joseph DeStefano said the city also negotiated a residency requirement
for all new hires.
“It gives an opportunity for the emergency services in your community, whether they be police, fire, or even DPW and office workers, to better reflect your community. It gives more opportunity for people who live in your community to score on the testing and get jobs,” the mayor said. “It also builds a middle class in your community.”
The firefighters union is the first in Middletown to include a residency requirement for new hires. DeStefano wants to have that included in other employee union agreements going forward.
