Council ratifies three-year firefighters contract with new scheduling changes to limit FLSA overtime

Huron City Council approved Resolution 7-2025 on Jan. 14, authorizing the city manager to execute a three-year contract with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 4168 covering Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2027.

Why it matters: the contract sets wages, benefits and scheduling rules for the fire department and introduces a scheduling mechanism (“Kelly days”) intended to reduce overtime exposure under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The agreement will affect department staffing patterns and budgeted personnel costs over the next three years, with annual reopeners for wages and health-care contributions.

Key contract terms reported in the meeting: • Term: three years (2025–2027), with automatic reopeners for wages and health-care in 2026 and 2027. • Wages: a proposed average base increase reported by staff as approximately $1.75 to the base (staff presented this as an average figure for budgeting purposes). • Longevity: the longevity calculation will change from a flat amount to a step-based formula. • Uniform allowance: increased from $600 to $750 annually. • Health insurance: employee premium share increases from 5% to 6%; the plan will move from an HRA to an HSA. • Kelly days: the contract adds additional scheduled days off (95 total shift-days distributed across the membership across the calendar year in varying amounts per member) so that work cycles fall below FLSA overtime thresholds; members must select Kelly days a year in advance to assist staffing planning. The city retains an annual option to revert to traditional FLSA calculations if needed for budgetary reasons.

Council discussion and staff notes: staff said the Kelly-day approach aims to reduce overtime liability by adding scheduled days off so the work-cycle hours remain within FLSA limits. Staff noted the approach requires monitoring and that actual overtime impact will depend on how shifts are filled (part-time coverage and last-minute absences can still produce overtime). Council thanked union representatives and staff for negotiations.

Implementation and next steps: human-resources and fire-department staff will implement scheduling changes, adjust payroll processes for HSA contributions, and monitor overtime and budget impacts; council will review reopeners in subsequent years as provided for in the contract.

Attribution: City Manager Doug Lasco presented contract highlights; City Attorney Mister Schrader, union representatives (identified in the transcript as IAFF representatives) and multiple councilmembers participated in the discussion.