PROVIDENCE — Mayor David N. Cicilline has made public his latest contract offer to the city firefighters union: Current firefighters would pay 15 percent of the cost of their health insurance premiums, new firefighters 20 percent.

Union president Paul A. Doughty has said the firefighters have been willing for a long time to pay something. The disagreement, he has said, is over the sum.

Other unionized city employees pay 9 percent to 15 percent of their premiums. Nonunion employees pay 10 percent — and assuming the City Council acts favorably on the mayor’s supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, that share will be doubled.

The city is self-insured, so the premium is a mathematical calculation by the Cicilline administration of the city’s per-employee cost and not an amount negotiated with a health insurer. The mayor has set a goal of having all municipal employees pay 20 percent.

In a City Hall news conference Monday, Cicilline also disclosed that he has on the negotiating table a seven-year deal that would pay firefighters an average annual across-the-board wage increase of 2 percent. The pact would run from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2012, but the wage hike would be retroactive only to Jan. 1, 2006.

Those who carry the rank of firefighter would see an average lump-sum payment of more than $19,000, according to the mayor’s director of administration, Richard I. Kerbel.

The majority of firefighters — including the union president, Doughty — hold the rank of firefighter 1st class and are paid a base weekly wage of $932.53.

Cicilline called on the union, Local 799 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, to put the offer to a contract ratification vote of its members within 30 days. Asked why he thinks the rank-and-file would accept something that its leadership has not, Cicilline said that it is a fair offer that is affordable to taxpayers.

Doughty replied, “Tell him to bring my proposal to the [City] Council within 30 days. If he does it, I’ll do it.” Labor contracts negotiated by the mayor require council approval.

Doughty declined to outline the firefighters’ current proposal until he shares the details with his membership. He said the city and the union had agreed to keep their respective proposals confidential.

Cicilline’s contract offer, which he said has been in the union’s hands for two weeks, also would:

•Significantly water down pension benefits. Any employee hired after July 1, 2004, would have to attain age 55 or work for at least 25 years to collect a pension. Currently, the minimum service requirement is 20 years.

Annual cost-of-living pension increases would be limited to 3 percent simple interest as opposed to the current 3 percent compounded interest

Those who qualify for a disability pension would receive only 50 percent of salary rather than the current two-thirds.

•Give the mayor greater flexibility in deployments, allowing, for example, the transfer of one firefighter from each of six engine companies to a rescue company. The personnel assigned to each of those engine companies would be reduced from four to three. That would allow the city to put more rescue trucks on the street without having to pay overtime to the rescue personnel.

•Reduce longevity pay by delaying the date of the annual payment by 30 days. After a certain number of years’ service, employees get a percentage bonus that increases over time.

•Eliminate one week of vacation for one year. Firefighters currently receive four weeks plus four days of vacation.

•Eliminate prepaid legal aid and a paid holiday, and for one year, eliminate the clothing allowance.

gsmith@projo.com