Garfield Heights council approves firefighters’ collective bargaining agreement, adds exhibit

Garfield Heights — The Garfield Heights City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 12-2026 on Tuesday to adopt a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the International Association of Fire Fighters local, and amended the ordinance to add a new Exhibit A dated January 2026.

Chief of staff (as identified in the meeting) told council that “Ordinance 12-2026 this evening represents an end to negotiations with our fire department,” and asked for council support. The law director also urged approval, noting the city had reached five other labor agreements during the year and that this ordinance completes that set.

During consideration Councilwoman Collier moved to amend the ordinance to include “a new Exhibit A dated 01/2026”; that amendment was seconded, approved by voice vote, and incorporated before the roll-call adoption. The ordinance passed on roll call 7–0.

The agreement was presented as the final of six bargaining agreements the administration negotiated this cycle. The meeting record does not list the collective-bargaining economic terms or the exact IAFF local number in the transcript; those details were not stated on the record and are therefore not reported here.

Next steps: The ordinance was declared an emergency in the meeting and was approved by the council; any administrative steps to implement the agreement (publication, posting of the exhibit, or execution by the mayor) were not described in the transcript.