National City firefighters urge council to accept pay proposal; closed session held on labor talks and workers' comp claim

Jeremy Day, president of the National City Firefighters, told the City Council during public comment that the union has reached agreement with the city on “almost every item” of a proposed contract but that pay remains the primary sticking point.

Day said the union had softened its request for the first year, placed “guardrails” on years two and three and that city financial records show the city can afford the proposal. “The idea that you're gonna go broke in 3 or 5 years… it just hasn't happened since 02/2005,” Day said, citing figures he said he pulled from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

The matter moved immediately to closed session. The city attorney told the council the closed session would address a workers' compensation claim identified as Richard Flores versus the City of National City and “conference with labor negotiators” involving the MEA, the National City Firefighters Association and the Police Officers Association. After the closed session the council returned to open session and said it would report out at the end of the meeting; no votes or settlements were disclosed in the public record provided.

Why it matters: labor talks with public-safety unions affect staffing, pay and municipal budgets. Day warned that firefighters repeatedly fall in compensation rankings and urged council members to negotiate for staff rather than treat the process like a purchase. “There are people on the other side. Firefighters, your firefighters. You should be in there fighting for them,” he said.

Details from public comment and the closed-session notice

- Contract status and union position: Day said the union and city agree on most terms of a pending proposal; “the 1 sticking point is pay,” he said. He told the council the union reduced its first-year demand and added protections for years two and three to reduce the council’s fiscal risk.

- Financial evidence cited by the union: Day said he extracted figures from the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) dating back to February 2005 and charted unassigned fund balances under the city’s 10% policy. He said the general fund has produced surpluses in years following mid-year deficits and noted the city has established targeted reserves, including a vehicle replacement fund, contingency reserve and facilities fund.

- Specific numbers cited by Day: he cited July–April actuals in fiscal year 2023 showing a $5,500,000 deficit and a final-year surplus of $5,300,000; fiscal year 2024 July–April actuals showed a $3,300,000 deficit and a final-year surplus of $5,100,000. He said 2025 through April initially showed a $7,700,000 deficit and that figure “is already recovered to 3.3” (as stated in his remarks).

- Pay ranking concern: Day said National City firefighters “continually slide to between 15 and 18 out of 18 in year 2 of our contract” and said the union’s objective is to reach just above the average for comparable jurisdictions.

- Closed session items: the city attorney announced two items for closed session — a workers' compensation claim (Richard Flores v. City of National City) and negotiations with labor organizations (MEA, National City Firefighters Association, Police Officers Association, and unrepresented groups). The transcript records the council entering closed session, later reconvening and announcing it would report out; the record provided contains no public vote, settlement terms or other final actions.

What happened next: Council members recessed for a short break, entered closed session for the items announced and returned to open session stating an intent to report out later in the meeting. The transcript excerpts provided do not include a report-out, any motion, or vote on the contract or the workers' compensation matter.

Public comment occurred at the start of the meeting’s public comment period and the closed session occurred immediately afterward; remarks about the contract were part of public comment rather than a formal staff presentation or council report.

Future steps: The council indicated it would report the results of the closed session later in the meeting; no report was available in the transcript excerpt provided.