Fort Worth City Council will vote Tuesday on approving a four-year collective bargaining agreement ratified by the city\u2019s firefighters and emergency medical services personnel that calls for pay raises, among other changes.<\/p>\n
The agreement includes across-the-board wage increases, incentive pay and overtime, according to a copy of the ratified agreement<\/a> the city posted with its agenda for Tuesday\u2019s council meeting.<\/p>\n Members of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association Local 440, the union representing the firefighters and EMS, voted over three days last week on the agreement. A majority of the rank and file ratified the agreement, according to the city\u2019s summary published with the agenda item.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s critical that investing in public safety remains a top priority for our city, and the FY27 budget reflects that commitment, even in a particularly tough budget year,\u201d Mayor Mattie Parker said in a statement Monday to the Fort Worth Report. \u201cI\u2019m proud of the incredibly hard work that city leadership and the 440 have put into this collective bargaining agreement, prioritizing our firefighters and EMS personnel to ensure we remain one of the safest large cities in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2027 fiscal year begins Thursday. The agreement calls for a 5% across-the-board raise for firefighters and EMS employees for 2027, plus \u201cmarket\u201d raises based on classifications. It also calls for across-the-board raises in fiscal 2028, 2029 and 2030, and annual step pay raises in each of those years.<\/p>\n The union meets with city staff to negotiate a contract every four years. The contract governs the working conditions and standards for firefighters and EMS personnel.<\/p>\n The market raises for fiscal year 2027 include 2.1% for firefighters, 1% for engineers, 5% for EMT personnel, 15% for lead paramedics, 7% for EMS supervisors, 2% for EMS managers and 2% for EMS battalion chiefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The relief ratio, or extra crew needed when personnel are on vacation, increases to 40% from 20% under the new agreement.<\/p>\n Another change requires firefighters to notify the chain of command when they are charged with Class C misdemeanors other than traffic citations.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 440 declared in July it had reached an impasse in negotiations<\/a>, accusing the city of not bargaining in good faith. In its response, the city said it had offered a contract proposal of $40 million in new investments and a 20% salary increase over four years. The total value of the ratified agreement was not clear Monday; the city did not provide clarification in response to questions from the Report.<\/p>\n After the last collective bargaining meeting on Sept. 18, Zac Shaffer, president of IAFF 440, said both sides were able to find a compromise after expressing their concerns and needs. He did not respond Monday to the Report\u2019s questions on the ratified contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ratified agreement includes continued investments in training and equipment, compensation for leave benefits, overtime provisions, incentives to support responsible sick leave usage and greater flexibility to hire personnel to maintain appropriate staffing levels during employee absences.<\/p>\n The union\u2019s contract proposal totaled about $152 million, including requests for additional staffing and benefit provisions Fort Worth officials said would significantly increase costs \u201cat a time when the city is preparing for what could become a historic budget deficit,\u201d according to the city\u2019s release in July.<\/p>\n The city was facing a projected $94 million shortfall for 2027 but closed that. Council members approved a new budget<\/a> that includes an 8.5% placeholder for firefighters for fiscal 2027, based on the outcome of the contract negotiations. It was not clear Monday how the ratified agreement fits with the budgeted amount.<\/p>\n