King County Council approves paramedic contract with IAFF; EMS levy to cover $2 million cost

The King County Council on May 13 adopted an ordinance approving a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between King County and the International Association of Fire Fighters that covers about 85 paramedics, officials said.

The agreement, approved by a 9-0 roll call, runs from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2026, and includes retroactive payments and across-the-board wage increases: 6% for 2024 and 4.1% for 2025, with 2026 tied to the Seattle consumer price index (June-over-June), council staff said.

The CBA raises several premium and benefit items. The field training officer premium was increased from 5% to 10% of base pay; the uniform allowance was raised from $800 to $1,000 per year; Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day were added to the list of holidays; bereavement leave was aligned with county policy; and a new five-day paid organ donor leave was added. The agreement also clarifies probationary-period rules and adopts standard county language on overtime.

“For the record, Jeff Mumm, Chief Policy Officer at King County Council,” Jeff Mumm told the council during the briefing. He summarized the terms and said, “The fiscal impact for this year, for 2025, is $2,000,000. This is associated with the back pay. And then this fund is fully supported by the EMS levy, so it does not impact the general fund.”

Andre Chevalier of the Office of Labor Relations described the bargaining process and said the key challenges were wages and health benefits, noting that changes to county health benefits in 2025 increased employee premium shares and benefit access fees and complicated comparisons with other firefighter employers. “The challenging issue for this bargain really came down to wages and health benefits,” Chevalier said.

Council member Dembowski asked whether referral to the Public Employment Relations Commission was unusual; Chevalier said federal and local negotiations for uniformed services sometimes proceed through PERC and that this bargaining cycle had used PERC mediation as well. Council member Mosqueda thanked negotiators and expressed appreciation for frontline firefighters and paramedics.

Clerk roll call recorded the following ayes: Council members Balducci, Barone, Dembowski, Dunn, Mosqueda, Perry, Quinn, Von Reichbauer and Chair Girmay Zahilay. The ordinance number approving the agreement is 2025-0131.

Council staff said the executive will not seek additional appropriation authority from the general fund in 2025 because the cost is supported by the EMS levy. The council did not propose additional changes during the meeting.

Background: Council staff said negotiations began in June 2023, the parties sought PERC mediation in April 2024, and a tentative agreement was reached in March 2025. The union represents paramedics who serve nine jurisdictions across South King County under county medical services arrangements.

The ordinance takes effect according to its terms; the agreement covers wages and working conditions through Dec. 31, 2026.