Helena firefighters win $900,000 back pay after arbitration ruling

Helena now owes $900,000 in back pay to 36 firefighters after an arbitrator sided with the union in a contract dispute that stretched from the 2024 bargaining round into a new three-year agreement.

The award came after the City of Helena and International Association of Firefighters Local #448 failed to reach a new salary contract on time. The firefighters’ prior agreement ran from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024, and the new collective bargaining agreement now posted by the city covers July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027. Union president Dave Maslowski said the union built its proposal around a median-based pay scale that it viewed as fair and consistent with past contracts.

The city’s own documents show why the ruling reaches beyond payroll. An internal memo says the arbitration outcome creates a budget shortfall because firefighters will receive salary increases tied to their positions over the 2024 to 2026 period. To make up the difference, city leaders floated staffing changes, including eliminating open firefighter positions and moving from an eight-person daily staffing model to seven. The union says that would mean fewer calls crews can answer.

That warning lands in a department already under strain. Helena Fire Department records say crews responded to 4,887 calls in 2023, the most ever for the department, after handling more than 4,700 calls in 2022. In 1979, when Helena began operating a second fire station, the department responded to 504 calls. The union says that long-term growth in demand, paired with flat staffing, leaves little room for cuts without affecting service.

City planning documents have pointed to the same pressure for years. The need for a third fire station was identified in both 2007 and 2022 planning efforts, and the department’s hazmat vehicle is stored in Montana City, which affects response time. The 2023 Fire Department Master Plan executive summary listed Dave Maslowski, Chief Jon Campbell, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Chambers and IAFF Local 448 member Mike McDaniel on the planning committee.

The financial stakes also reach Helena taxpayers. City public-safety materials say the General Fund gets most of its revenue from property taxes, so a large labor award can ripple into broader budget decisions. On February 26, 2024, the Helena City Commission voted 5-0 to place public-safety mill levy and bond questions before voters on the June 4, 2024 primary ballot, underscoring how closely staffing, taxes and service levels are now tied together. The city says it has complied with the arbitration ruling and is looking ahead to how it can meet a growing public-safety load across fire and police services.