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Firefighters and union leaders press board on stalled contract negotiations; board describes federal mediation options
Summary
Union leaders including Matt Stallings and representatives from the Little Rock Black Firefighters Association told the board negotiations over firefighter schedules and pay remain unresolved. Vice Mayor Warrick briefed the board on federal mediation options and said the city plans arbitration if the union rejects the mediator’s terms.
Union representatives and firefighters addressed the Little Rock Board of Directors on Jan. 21 about stalled contract negotiations and conditions in the department.
Matt Stallings (union representative) said the bargaining unit had reached what he described as a tentative agreement in December but that the city later changed terms and that subsequent proposals were “unreasonable” and divisive. He said the unresolved schedule dispute has left firefighters under strain and that basic equipment and safety concerns remain. “We are the best thing that this city has to offer,” Stallings said. “All we’re asking to do is to be treated fairly.”
Kentrell Shepherd, president of the Little Rock Black Firefighters Association, told the board he had not been included in negotiations and asked for clarity he could report back to his members. “It’s very disappointing,” Shepherd said of the negotiations extending past the usual schedule; he said in his 15 years on the job he had not seen talks continue so late into the calendar year.
Vice Mayor Warrick provided the board an update on the city’s negotiations process. Warrick said the parties used federal mediation and the federal mediator presented two nonbinding options: option A — if 70% of the workforce approved the proposal it would go into effect without a trial; option B — if the proposal reached 60% approval it would trigger a trial implementation in January 2026. Warrick said the city accepted option A and that union leaders rejected that path; as a result, the city plans to proceed to arbitration. Warrick noted the city attorney had advised caution because overtime and staffing shortages could have legal and financial implications.
Speakers said the underlying dispute centers on a schedule change that the union and city initially negotiated; Stallings said the city twice withdrew or altered previously agreed terms, creating mistrust. Union speakers pressed for a resolution that would restore predictability and pay adjustments, and said the timing of the negotiations was affecting members’ ability to plan and take vacations.
No formal board action on the contract was recorded at the meeting. The board recessed to executive session later in the agenda to discuss a separate personnel matter.
