Once again, a new contract between the City of Waterloo and its firefighters has come down to arbitration.

The contract, which covers the years 2015 through 2017, was finalized Thursday.

It will see the city’s firefighters given pay increases of 2.75 per cent for 2015, 2.48 per cent for 2016, and 2.26 per cent for 2017.

Talks on the contract began in 2015 and moved through conciliation and mediation processes before an arbitrator was brought in.

The Waterloo Professional Fire Fighters Association represents 116 city workers.

Those workers’ pay rates for 2012 through 2014 were also set by an arbitrator. That contract involved an 8.65 per cent raise over the three years.