Good news from Raton Local 2378! Together we finally negotiated a true successor agreement for the firefighters. The new contract was just approved and ratified by the Raton City Council on May 14, 2013. Their brand new negotiating team took an outdated document which only had very modest pay changes for the past ten years, and worked out many compromises with management that will improve firefighter working conditions. The firefighters still have a low base pay rate, less than many other firefighter groups in New Mexico even with a 2% across-the-board increase, but other payments for education, training, and various certifications was adopted which will help them become more competitive. The NMPFFA has been investing resources in the Raton Firefighters and we are happy to see it finally pay off. The bargaining unit will now represent all the field firefighting positions, and the new probationary firefighters will have something to look forward to next year. Congratulations on a job well done! There are many folks watching and wishing you well.