City manager says tentative four‑year firefighters’ contract reached; council to consider ratification Oct. 2

Irving City Manager Chris Hillman told the City Council on Sept. 18 that management and the Irving Professional Firefighters Association Local 2073 have reached a tentative agreement covering 28 articles of a first collective bargaining contract. Hillman said the association held member education sessions and members are voting through Oct. 1; the council is scheduled to vote on ratification Oct. 2.

Deputy City Attorney Janet Spignardi and outside counsel Becky Hayward walked council through the high‑level provisions. The contract is drafted as a four‑year agreement that would run to Sept. 30, 2029, with a limited one‑year holdover if a successor agreement is not in place. It recognizes Local 2073 as the exclusive bargaining agent and preserves standard management rights while adding negotiated protections and procedures for firefighters.

Key operational items explained by staff include preserved 24‑hour on/48‑off fire operations shifts, continued Kelly‑day practice, and a new phased staffing schedule to move toward four‑person staffing on fire apparatus. Under the staffing schedule shown to council, the city would add four positions in FY2025‑26, then 10, 14 and 13 in subsequent fiscal years; council retained authority to increase those numbers.

Staff described pay and benefit changes as incremental and operationally focused. The contract incorporates an existing market‑adjustment process for annual compensation reviews, revises some certification and incentive pays (for example, increases for swift‑water rescue and SCBA certification pay), and establishes caps and limits on forced callback premium pay (time‑and‑a‑half with a $50,000 annual cap and a maximum of two mandatory callbacks per employee per year).

Other negotiated provisions summarized for council include adjustments to sick‑leave treatment (removing sick leave from hours‑worked calculations), added association business leave with specific limits, a disciplinary and investigation framework that expands notice and representation rights, and a multi‑step grievance/arbitration process. Staffing, promotions, probationary periods, and civil‑service commission procedures were also modified as part of the TA.

Brett, the city’s finance lead, presented estimated budget impacts for the phased staffing plan. Staff said the city can fund four of the initial positions (approximately $485,000) within the current proposed budget without changing the total tax rate and expects larger staffing costs in later years tied to future budget cycles.

Hillman and legal staff said the association’s membership vote concludes Oct. 1; if ratified, staff will present the final contract to council Oct. 2. The council did not take a final vote at the Sept. 18 work session and reserved additional questions and legal briefings for a closed executive session.