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By Conor Shine (contact) 
Published Monday, July 18, 2011 | 2:58 p.m.
Updated Monday, July 18, 2011 | 3:53 p.m.
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The North Las Vegas firefighters' union voted to approve an agreement Monday that will cut their base pay by 5 percent in order to save 35 jobs.
The deal will help save an additional $2 million on top of the $4 million in concessions firefighters made in May, according to a statement released by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1607.
The deal will go before the North Las Vegas City Council for final approval Wednesday.
Thirty-five firefighters were targeted for layoffs before the deal was struck as the city works to close a $30 million budget gap.
Union president Jeff Hurley said the deal was one "that had to be done" in order to get the city on the path towards recovery.
"The firefighters here in North Las Vegas are leading by example," Hurley said.
This is the sixth round of concessions the firefighters have made in the past two years amidst the city's ongoing financial woes. In total, Hurley estimated North Las Vegas firefighters have foregone $20 million in wages since 2008.
As part of the agreement, firefighters will also give up education incentives, bilingual incentives and uniform maintenance pay.
The base salary cut will take effect Aug. 1 and will be spread evenly over 13 pay periods until Jan 31, 2012.
It's a tough time for everybody. NLV firefighters did the right if painful thing.
Hopefully no one is hurt beyond repair.
Hopefully we, the people they serve, will remember and appreciate their sacrifice.
This is nothing but show. Until NLV has some real leadership that will address the real problems, it will sink deeper and deeper.
5% pay cut? Big deal.
http://www2.8newsnow.com/salaries/search...
5% today, another 5% next year and where does it end? NLV is losing population and should actually need fewer firemen so why keep jobs you don't actually need?
they will make it up by "creating" overtime opportunities for each other and calling vacation days "sick time", you know, like the county firefighters do.