A Dallas Police cruiser in the parking lot at Manny’s Uptown Tex-Mex in December 2019 in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News
Police and firefighter associations are divided over accepting the city’s latest wage proposal as Dallas weighs pay raises for first responders at the same time other workers are furloughed.
On one side, the heads of the Dallas Police Association, Dallas Fire Fighters Association and the Dallas chapter of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization have accused city leaders of refusing to negotiate in good faith after months of contract talks.
But other associations say officers and firefighters, not union leaders, should decide whether to accept or reject the offer. The leaders of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas and Dallas Black Firefighters Association say they don’t believe city counterproposals show first responders are being shortchanged.
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They said the Dallas Hispanic Firefighters Association is in agreement with them. The group didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said Dallas remains committed to “fair, competitive compensation” and will continue funding annual step raises and market-based pay increases for police officers and firefighters.
“Our police officers and firefighters are the backbone of public safety in Dallas,” she said.
The disagreement comes as Dallas prepares next year’s budget while facing a projected $51 million shortfall. Tolbert is expected to present her proposed budget to the City Council on Aug. 11.
The city has already furloughed civilian employees, frozen hiring and weighed cuts to services such as libraries and parks. Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and 911 employees are exempt.
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Dallas currently pays police officers a starting salary of $81,232.
Association divide
The 3-3 police and fire associations split leaves the groups at a stalemate. Association leaders said at least four of the six police and fire associations must agree before a proposed contract can be sent to police officers and firefighters for a vote to approve or reject the agreement.
“What we’ve received in return are counterproposals that send one very clear message: public safety is worth the bare minimum,” said Sean Pease, president of the Dallas Police Association.
Pease said the city’s proposal would leave Dallas struggling to recruit and retain experienced first responders. He declined to discuss specific pay figures being proposed, saying negotiation details are confidential.
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Pease also argued Dallas still falls short of Proposition U, which requires the city to rank among the top five North Texas departments for starting police pay. He said city officials emphasize bonus and incentive pay rankings even though not every officer receives those payments.
Police and fire departments receive the city’s largest general fund allocations. The current budget provides $758 million for the Dallas Police Department and $453 million for Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Dallas Fire Fighters Association President Chris Peterson said his organization wants market-level compensation, not special treatment.
“This is not about being greedy,” Peterson said. “This is not about us wanting a huge contract, by any means at all. We just want what’s fair.”
Rank and file decide
The city has submitted multiple counterproposals, each including raises while preserving pay parity between police officers and firefighters, according to Black Police Association of Greater Dallas President Germaine Walls and Dallas Black Firefighters Association President Brandon Terry.
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Instead of rejecting the proposal outright, they say officers and firefighters should decide whether it meets their expectations.
“You present what you have to the membership, that’s part of negotiating,” Walls said. “You present it to the membership and let the membership make the call.”
Terry questioned pushing for substantially larger raises while the city is looking for ways to trim the budget. The association presidents also declined to discuss specific pay increases citing the ongoing negotiations.
“There are citizens that work for this city that are taking furlough days without pay, that are losing positions,and we’re gonna tell them about how we’ve been mistreated,” Terry said.
Hiring requirements
Proposition U, approved by Dallas voters in 2024, requires Dallas to maintain at least 4,000 police officers and rank among the top five North Texas departments for starting police compensation.
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City officials said last year that Dallas ranked 12th in base starting pay but third after qualifying stipends and non-pension benefits were included, though not every officer receives those payments.
The charter amendment also requires the city to devote at least half of any annual increase in unrestricted revenue to the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System and then direct the remaining money toward police hiring, starting pay and officer benefits.
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Dallas earlier this year, alleging the city isn’t complying with Proposition U’s funding requirements.
City officials deny the allegations, saying the city complies with the charter amendment, including its pension funding requirements. The lawsuit remains pending.
Dallas has about 3,400 officers, short of the proposition’s requirement. Pease, the Dallas Police Association president, said academy capacity and normal attrition mean the department may add only 60 to 100 officers this year unless retention improves.
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The City Council approved a one-year, $75.5 million meet-and-confer agreement in February while negotiations continued on a longer contract covering pay, benefits and working conditions.
The current contract expires Sept. 30. Pease said its terms can remain in effect for up to six months under an evergreen provision, giving both sides until roughly April to reach a new agreement before the extension expires.