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Wichita Falls adopts three-year collective bargaining agreement with firefighters
Summary
Council adopted a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Wichita Falls Professional Firefighters Association Local 432 that sets 10% annual raises for three years, raises maximum hiring age and adds a labor relations committee and other personnel changes.
Wichita Falls City Council on June 3 adopted a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Wichita Falls Professional Firefighters Association, International Association of Firefighters Local 432, under Chapter 174 of the Texas Local Government Code.
City staff summarized key terms: a 10% base pay increase each year for the three-year contract, an increase in the maximum hiring age from 36 to 39, residency preference points within a three-county area for testing, allowance for lateral hires, and changes to the promotion system including an emphasis on leadership training. The agreement also creates a labor-relations committee to address implementation and operational questions that may arise during the contract term.
City staff said the agreement was negotiated following the council ecision to allow collective bargaining; firefighters voted 52–1 on May 24 to ratify the contract. James Al Battolo, president of Local 432, and city staff praised the negotiation process and called the agreement a milestone after many years of advocacy. "This is a very big deal for all of us," Al Battolo said, adding the deal would help retention and recruiting.
Council voted to adopt the contract. City staff and union leaders said the multi-year deal gives both parties stability and a platform for improving compensation, training and labor relations.
