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City briefs finance committee on upcoming bargaining with police and fire unions
Summary
City staff outlined the bargaining schedule and scope for MPPOA (police) and IAFF (fire), noting mandatory subjects (wages, hours, conditions), timing for initial exchanges and constraints such as state or federal law and health-plan design.
Kurt Rose, the city’s employee and labor relations manager, briefed the Finance Committee on July 28 about upcoming collective bargaining with the Madison Professional Police Officers Association (MPPOA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). He said bargaining with MPPOA is scheduled to begin July 30 and IAFF bargaining is expected in September.
Kurt summarized recent pay trends, noting the protective services group averaged about 2.38% annual increases in the 2022–2025 contract period and that protective service pay had reached parity with general municipal employees in the most recent cycle. The presentation noted the current 12‑month Consumer Price Index at roughly 3% as a contextual data point. Kurt described the bargaining process: an initial public exchange of offers (with reservation to amend), subsequent closed bargaining sessions, tentative agreement, union ratification, and final Common Council ratification.
Kurt explained the scope of bargaining: wages, hours and conditions of employment are mandatory subjects; items such as uniforms, training and staffing are typically negotiable; but state and federal law provisions and the design of health‑care plans are not subject to bargaining. He also clarified that operational policies and standard operating procedures remain within the chiefs’ discretion even where general frameworks appear in collective bargaining agreements.
Several committee members asked procedural questions about public access to initial exchanges and requested clarity on which contract provisions most commonly translate into department-level policies. Staff said they would provide a brief on current contract provisions and are available for additional committee briefings; they cautioned that specific bargaining proposals and negotiations are confidential until an agreement is reached and ratified.
No committee vote was required on the briefing. Kurt said staff will finalize financial proposals, brief the finance committee as appropriate during bargaining, and return with a tentative agreement for committee and council action after union ratification.
