Committee approves three-year successor agreement with IAFF Local 257, including wage increases and benefit changes

The Human Resources and Information Technology Committee on Aug. 13 approved a three-year successor labor agreement with IAFF Local 257 covering calendar years 2026 through 2028 by a 4-0 vote.

The agreement, which committee members were told was negotiated and ratified by the union membership in July, establishes wage increases of 3% on April 1, 2026; 3% on April 1, 2027; and 2.5% on April 1, 2028. “The increases are 3%, 3%, and 2 and a half,” Director Ratchett said when summarizing the proposal.

Why it matters: the contract affects firefighter pay, specialty pay administration, promotion and seniority rules, paid time off and sick-leave accruals, and creates new EMS coordinator assignments that the city said are aimed at improving medical operations.

Key provisions and committee discussion

Wages and overall compensation — Director Ratchett told the committee the city reviewed municipal comparables and total compensation elements such as health insurance before settling on the three increases. The city’s finance summary presented during the discussion estimated the April 2026 wage increase would add roughly $159,991 to the city’s payroll from April through the end of the year and about $213,322 on a full 12‑month basis, based on current staffing and step placement.

Specialty pay — Longstanding specialty-pay stipends (for hazmat, technical rescue, swift water, confined space and similar teams) previously paid as a $10-per-paycheck supplement will be removed from the stipend model. Ratchett said the city found administering the $10 payment “was an administrative nightmare,” and that management and the union agreed the chief would have authority to assign specialty duties as part of regular compensation. The change is projected to reduce specialty-pay expense by approximately $22,000 annually, the director said. “So the specialties remain, the skills, but the pay tied to it does not,” Ratchett said.

EMS shift coordinators — The contract creates an assignment of three EMS shift coordinators (one per shift) to assist the division chief of EMS with tasks such as inventory, protocol writing, quality assurance and equipment purchasing. The city said these would be filled by existing employees and described them as assignments rather than new salaried positions; compensation was described as an add-on roughly equivalent to the top firefighter rate times 3%. Director Ratchett provided a range of $1.21 to $1.25 per hour depending on incumbent qualifications; the city estimated the total cost for the three coordinators would fall between $7,557 and $7,839.

Promotion and seniority changes — The committee was told the captain promotion process will be “best qualified” rather than strictly seniority-based, which Ratchett said gives the chief discretion to select the candidate the chief judges best qualified. Lieutenant and driver-engineer promotions were not fully shifted to “best qualified”; instead, the contract now starts seniority accrual when a firefighter becomes an acting lieutenant or acting driver engineer, which the city said establishes a clearer seniority clock for those roles.

Sick leave and PTO — The agreement standardizes sick-leave accrual so all firefighters will receive five hours of sick leave per month (the presenter described this as putting “all employees on the same playing field”). The committee was told employees can accumulate up to 1,080 hours; retirement payout remains at 720 hours. Previously the contract included different accrual rates for new hires and contained incentives that could raise payout-accumulation thresholds; the city said it simplified the structure to reduce administrative complexity. Paid time off (PTO) was also standardized so all employees covered under the agreement receive three PTO days (the contract had previously given two PTO days to newer employees and three to those at the top firefighter rate).

Vacation selection — The union requested a guaranteed “four slot” vacation selection in November to help members plan vacations; the city agreed with the caveat that guaranteed selections could create overtime or staffing pressure if overall staffing levels fell (retirements, resignations, injuries, FMLA). Ratchett said management would respond as needed if staffing levels changed.

Ratification and vote — Ratchett told the committee the union leadership negotiated through several bargaining sessions beginning in May and that the membership ratified the tentative agreement in July. After committee discussion and questions from members about midterm renegotiation and implementation, the committee approved the agreement 4-0. Committee membership present and recorded as voting in favor were Adrianne Stansil Martin (District 11), Sherry Sartz (District 13, chair), Maya Jones (District 10) and Nate Wolf (District 12); Alderman Hayden was listed as absent and excused.

What the committee did not decide — The committee approved the agreement as presented. Members asked whether midterm reopening of negotiations would be possible if terms proved unworkable; Ratchett said the parties could request to open the bargain if needed. The committee did not adopt additional, binding language beyond the ratified contract and left implementation details such as coordinator job duties and scheduling discretion to the chief and city administration.

Ending: The committee’s approval moves the ratified successor agreement forward for administrative implementation under the terms described at the Aug. 13 meeting.