Waukesha HR Committee approves tentative four‑year firefighters contract; sends agreement to council

The Waukesha City Human Resources Committee voted to act on a four‑year tentative collective bargaining agreement between the City of Waukesha and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 407 and will forward the agreement to the full City Council for final approval.

City negotiators and union representatives told the committee they reached a tentative agreement after two meetings with productive discussions. Fleming (city staff) provided an overview of the monetary terms and timeline for ratification and council review.

Fleming said the agreement provides base salary increases in 2025 of 2 percent on Jan. 1 and an additional 1.5 percent on July 1. He also described a phased increase to the paramedic premium: the premium would increase to 4.5 percent in 2026 and to 5 percent in 2027, bringing the premium into parity with comparable units, Fleming said. Fleming added that other rank‑based premiums for equipment operators, lieutenants and inspectors would remain unchanged.

Fleming clarified that an item on vacation was not a new sixth vacation cycle but rather a single additional vacation day for members with 20 or more years of service. The union ratified the tentative agreement by a vote of 55–1.

Committee members moved to go into closed session to discuss the agreement pursuant to Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e). After the closed session, the committee returned to open session and passed a motion to act on the agreement (ID 2051241); the motion passed and the matter will be placed on the July 1 City Council agenda for final consideration.

Committee members and staff thanked the union and staff for professional negotiations; no further changes were recorded in open session.