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City, fire department negotiators agree on tentative term sheet covering shifts, pay and incentives
Summary
Negotiators reached a tentative term sheet for the La Marque fire department CBA that shifts the schedule to 48/96, delays an initial COLA to Jan. 1, 2026 with subsequent 3% raises in 2026 and 2027, increases several stipends and raises the boot allowance to $200; the term sheet will go to the union for ratification and city council for approval.
Speaker 1, the city's lead negotiator, presented a tentative term sheet for the fire department collective bargaining agreement on the meeting's opening, saying the document would be sent to the union for ratification and to the city council for approval.
The negotiated sheet eliminates the Kelly day and moves the department to a 48/96 work schedule with shifts beginning at 6 a.m., Speaker 1 said: "we're eliminating the Kelly day, and we're shifting to a 48 96 work schedule." He asked participants to call out any objections.
The package adjusts pay timing and amounts. Speaker 1 said the city requested that an initial cost‑of‑living adjustment start Jan. 1 and described subsequent increases: a 3% COLA effective Oct. 1, 2026 and another 3% on Oct. 1, 2027. He summarized the city's position as providing "more over the life of the contract." The term sheet also sets the effective date for step and COLA increases as Jan. 1, 2026.
Benefits and allowances were revised. The boot allowance will be raised to $200; any unclaimed boot allowance funds not claimed by employees by March 1 of the applicable year are to be transferred to the department quartermaster, Speaker 1 said. The department PAT/test stipend is increased to $2,000 per year to be disbursed as $500 per passing quarter, and paramedic incentive pay will increase from $500 to $1,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Speaker 4 (the chief) described monthly specialty stipends for certified roles: fire officer 3 ($25 per month), fire officer 4 ($50 per month), instructor 2 ($25 per month), instructor 3 ($50 per month), hazmat tech ($50 per month), hazmat incident commander ($75 per month), and increased pay for fire inspector and cause-of-origin duties. Residency pay was listed in the meeting as increasing to $300 from a prior amount recorded as "$2.50" in the transcript; that prior figure appears inconsistent with other stipend amounts and may be a transcription error. The meeting record lists the arson investigator stipend at $150.
On on‑call and overtime, Speaker 4 clarified that designated on‑call (standby) hours are paid as straight time unless the employee is called in, in which case the employee is paid at the overtime rate: "The on call hours were straight time unless they were called in," he said. The term sheet language will be clarified to reflect that distinction.
Next steps: Speaker 1 said he would send the updated document to Mik(a)ela to print copies and that attendees could sign beneath the Local 32‑82 signature block; he said "Cody Chandler" would sign as president and that Speaker 1 would sign for the city. The signed term sheet will be provided to the union for member ratification and submitted to city council on the next available agenda.
The meeting concluded with the negotiators signing copies to leave with staff and the chair adjourning the session at 09:35.
The city and department negotiators did not take a formal council vote at this meeting; the term sheet is a tentative agreement pending union ratification and subsequent council action.
