City Hall returning to bargaining table with London Professional Fire Fighters Association after phone call

The London Professional Fire Fighters Association and city hall are returning to the bargaining table for more contract talks. Daryl Newcombe reports.

CTV News has learned that a telephone call between Mayor Josh Morgan and Jason Timlick, president of the London Professional Fire Fighters Association (LPFFA) has resulted in both sides agreeing to return to the bargaining table for more contract talks.

“The union president and I have spoken today, and we’re both committed to returning to the bargaining table and working out a deal that is fair for the London Professional Fire Fighters Association (LPFFA), as well as for the City of London taxpayers,” Morgan said shortly after the call.

London’s 470 firefighters have been working without a collective agreement for almost 16 months.

On Wednesday, Timlick revealed that Civic Administration recently broke-off negotiations and the labour dispute was being referred to third-party binding arbitration in August.

“It’s amazing what 24 hours can do,” a positive sounding Timlick told CTV News on Thursday afternoon. “I just received a phone call from Mayor Josh Morgan, and we had a good discussion.”

As an essential service, firefighters do not have the right to strike and can’t be locked out, so if collective bargaining fails to reach an agreement, the last resort is binding arbitration.

Timlick has tried to avoid a costly arbitration process.

“It makes me feel encouraged that the parties will be able to get back to the table and eventually come to a made-in-London deal,” he said.

Morgan added, “Both of us said we feel like we’re pretty close to working this out. But there’s always a back-and-forth in a negotiation and finding the exact right balance between wages, benefits, all the other pieces that can be on the table.”

Timlick says after their most recent raise (July 2024), a first-class firefighter in London earns $109,802, which is below the market average in comparator municipalities ($123,500 by July 2026).

LPFFA is also looking for benefit increases, and language in the contract that protects ill and injured firefighters as well as their families if a firefighter dies in the line of duty.

“Our commitment to each other today is let’s get back to the bargaining table. Let’s see your next proposal. We’ll be able to talk about that, and we’ll move forward to find a great deal for everyone,” Morgan said.