Council approves tentative contract with firefighters union, keeping eight SAFER-funded positions

The Town Council on March 17 voted 5-0 to approve tentative agreements negotiated between the town and the Narragansett Firefighters Local 1589 of the International Association of Firefighters covering July 1, 2024'June 30, 2025 and July 1, 2025'June 30, 2028.

Councilors described the negotiations as difficult but collaborative. Councilor Donna Vignali, who served on the negotiating team, and others said a key outcome was retaining eight firefighters who had been added under a SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant. Councilors said the town faced the fiscal challenge of absorbing the salaries and pension costs for those positions but that both sides made concessions to reach an agreement.

Councilor Vignali said the agreement balanced resident and visitor safety with taxpayers' concerns and credited the union and town negotiators for compromise. Other councilors thanked the negotiating team and fire department leadership for their work.

A public commenter, Deb Kopeck, praised the negotiation process and the council's ability to reach an agreement acceptable to all parties.

The council did not read final contract text into the record during the meeting; the motion approved the tentative agreements and retained the staffing levels noted by council members. No additional financial details or wage schedule items were presented in the March 17 public discussion; formal ratification steps (if any) and administrative implementation were not described on the record beyond the council's approval of the tentative agreements.