HELENA, MT — The Helena Firefighters labor union says they’ve been fighting for fair wages for their staff since 2024. Recently, an arbitrator determined the city of Helena will need to pay $900,000 in back pay distributed between 36 firefighters after failing to negotiate a new salary contract in 2024.
When it came time to renegotiate contracts, the Helena fire union stuck with a similar approach to years past.
“Our proposal was based on a consistent median-based pay scale, something that we think has been fair over the last 24 years,” said union president Dave Maslowski.
However, the city proposed a different option, leaving the department without a new agreement for nearly 18 months.