Boston City Council Refers $27.4 Million Firefighter Pay Order to Committee

BOSTON -- September 20, 2023, Boston City Council referred a $27.4 million firefighter pay order to committee and welcomed an Irish delegation from County Cork and County Kerry at its September 20 meeting. Council President Edward M. Flynn presided over a lengthy ceremonial opening that included remarks by Cork County Mayor Frank Flynn and Kerry Mayor Jim Finucane, along with the acknowledgment of Kelly Sullivan, identified as a granddaughter of one of the five Sullivan brothers killed aboard USS Juneau in World War II. The two companion dockets, 1474 and 1475, would transfer $27,357,626 from the city's collective bargaining reserve to cover Boston Fire Department costs under a contract with IAFF Local 718, with base wage increases of 3 percent, 3 percent, and 2.5 percent across a three-year term. Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata warned that Boston needs roughly $3 billion to fortify its coastline against sea-level rise, calling the effort "the city's next big dig." The council unanimously adopted a resolution declaring October as Italian American Heritage Month and closed by recognizing the Boston Fire Department's response to a three-alarm East Boston fire that displaced 33 residents, including nine children, earlier that morning.