September 24, 2019 - DCA Announces Settlement Agreement with Atlantic City Firefighters Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 24, 2019

DCA, City of Atlantic City, and IAFF Local 198 Ratify Agreement on Employment Contract

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced that it and the City of Atlantic City have ratified a settlement agreement with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 198, ensuring fire safety for residents, workers, and visitors in the city without increasing costs to Atlantic City’s budget and ending more than two years of litigation. 

“As Atlantic City moves forward, it is important that we resolve concerns of the City’s firefighters. They are a pivotal key to the safety of all of us,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA commissioner. “This agreement positions us well to move forward together.” 

The settlement agreement: 

• Creates a new salary guide for city firefighters hired after July 1, 2019 that starts and escalates at lower rates than the previous guide. 
• Resolves numerous grievances filed by the Union at no cost to the City’s taxpayers.
• Includes no across-the-board salary increases in 2019, 2020, or 2021. Firefighters will receive a 2 percent salary increase on July 1, 2022.
• Changes the firefighter work schedule to a four-platoon system, 24-hour-shift work schedule in which firefighters work one 24-hour shift, followed by one 24-hour day off, followed by a second 24-hour shift of work, followed by five consecutive days off.
• Fills long vacant promotional positions to ensure proper supervision and staffing of the Atlantic City Fire Department. 

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: