DECATUR - The Decatur Fire Department union will be gaining most of the salary and health insurance awards it has asked for, but taxpayers will need to pay an extra $500,000 to accommodate them, sources said late Friday.

Adam Ruderman, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 505 president, said the union secured several important victories as talks with a federal arbitrator came to a close.

"I feel that we have been vindicated," said Ruderman, a fire department lieutenant.

Federal arbitrators awarded the union the salary increases it sought, including a new pay scale that differentiates between firefighters and lieutenants.

Assistant City Manager Billy Tyus said the union's victories probably will come at the additional cost of about $500,000 over the life of the contract, and the new pay scale represents another hurdle the city will need to get over in the current economy.

Another point awarded the union was an insurance plan with lower premiums than those offered by the city.

The premiums will rise, Ruderman said, but will be considerably lower than the proposal put forth by the city.

"We offered what we thought was a fair package when combined with what would have been the increase in payments for health insurance, an offer that amounted to more than a 16 percent increase over four years," Tyus said.

Ruderman attributed that victory for the union in part to the city's switch to a different insurance plan administrator at the start of the year, which has saved the city more than half a million dollars since January.

"I believe the arbitrator's award was in part based on the fact that the city council switched their third-party administrator to Blue Cross Blue Shield," Ruderman said. "I think that needed to be taken into consideration by the arbitrator."

One part of the union's proposal, which would have granted more benefits to firefighters with a certain higher training classification, was rejected by the arbitrator.

Ruderman said the union's requests largely were based on comparable fire departments throughout Illinois.

Ruderman said the fire union's awards could give some ammunition to the city employees union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 268, which is still in contract negotiations.

"I think it gives (the city employees union) a tremendous amount of leverage," Ruderman said.

Tyus disagreed.

"This decision should have no legal implications on the (city employee) contract," Tyus said.

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