NEW YORK (AP) -- City Hall and the firefighters' union reached a tentative agreement Wednesday on a wage increase after drawn-out negotiations complicated by a budget crisis and the hero status accorded New York's bravest after Sept. 11.
The firefighters would receive a retroactive 10 percent raise for the two years they worked without a contract, union president Steve Cassidy said. The agreement is subject to ratification by the union's 9,000 firefighters.
``I think this is as good as we could possibly do,'' said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. ``I wish we could afford to pay them more.''
Some firefighters also welcomed the agreement.
``With the climate in City Hall and so forth, I really didn't see them doing that much for us,'' said nine-year firefighter Martin Hurley.
At public rallies, union leaders, politicians and celebrities have called for firefighters to receive what they call just compensation for their Sept. 11 sacrifices. A total of 343 firefighters died in the attacks.
The period covered by the raise ended in June. Cassidy said the union will immediately begin negotiating another contract.
``By no means do I feel this package represents the value of what our members are truly worth,'' he said. ``Given the circumstances, given the hand we were dealt from, we felt that this is the best we could do.''
Rank-and-file firefighters have worked for more than two years without a raise or union contract. A new recruit earns about $31,000 a year. After 20 years, salaries can reach about $55,000.
With a roughly $42 billion annual budget, New York City faces an estimated deficit of $5 billion to $6 billion next year.
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