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Tentative agreement reached with IAFF Local 4967; raises, Kelly Day change and incentive pay included
Summary
City staff said negotiators reached a tentative memorandum of agreement with Winter Haven Professional Firefighters (IAFF Local 4967) covering pay adjustments, change from 1-in-9 to 1-in-7 Kelly days, and revisions to incentive pay; city commission will consider the MOU.
City staff told commissioners the city and the Winter Haven Professional Firefighters, International Association of Firefighters Local 4967, reached a tentative memorandum of agreement covering wage adjustments, a change to Kelly Day scheduling and revisions to the department’s incentive pay structure.
Staff said the contract reopener for fiscal 2025 covered wages and two negotiable items. Under the tentative agreement, starting firefighters (firefighter 1) hired after execution would receive an annual starting pay increase of $3,978.80. Incumbent bargaining-unit firefighters would receive a pay adjustment of $4,253.20, retroactive to Oct. 1 of the prior year if the agreement is approved.
The MOU would change the Kelly Day schedule beginning in calendar year 2026 from a 1-in-9 allocation (one Kelly day every ninth shift, electable) to a required 1-in-7 Kelly day. Staff said the change would reduce annual scheduled hours from 2,600 to 2,496 while keeping annual base pay unchanged; that structure increases hourly rate for overtime and holiday-pay calculations.
Staff and Fire Chief Newbern said the Kelly Day change would add roughly four additional Kelly days per year and was expected to improve recruitment competitiveness within Polk County; staff noted Lakeland operates a 1-in-7 schedule. The tentative agreement also modifies incentive pay so a firefighter 1 who achieves required certifications may receive half of the incentive (2.5 percent) earlier, and receive the remaining 2.5 percent when tenure (“seat time”) requirements are met.
Staff said the IAFF membership voted in favor of the tentative agreement roughly three weeks earlier; the MOU now comes before the city commission for consideration. The costs were accounted for in the city’s budget, according to staff remarks. No formal commission action was recorded during the agenda review; staff indicated the item will be on the agenda for formal approval.
