Paid on-call firefighters in North Cowichan and the municipality are working under a new two-year collective agreement as of Thursday.
Firefighters joined the union, which already represents North Cowichan municipal employees, early this year after the province made union certification easier.
The contract covers about 100 firefighters belonging to the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 358 who work out of four halls and respond to 1,250-plus calls annually.
Jeff Parker, Local 358 president, said Thursday the agreement sets out a wage grid for firefighters, who will see higher base wage rates for each year, additional pay for statutory holidays, enhanced insurance and one-time cost of living increases based on years of service.
