Council accepts arbitrator’s award, approves IAFF Local 200 contract

The Bartlesville City Council voted March 2 to accept an interest arbitration panel’s award and to approve the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 200 collective bargaining agreement for 2026 after the panel selected the union’s last‑best offer.

City Attorney Jess Cain summarized the arbitrator’s written decision and the city’s position: while the arbitrator accepted the union’s overall package, the written decision included language favorable to several of the city’s positions — specifically promotion procedures — because impasse arbitration requires an all‑or‑nothing selection of one party’s offer. Cain described evidence the city presented at arbitration alleging systemic sick‑leave patterns in the fire department and said the arbitrator rejected the city’s proposed sick‑leave discipline scheme on the ground that it did not guarantee progressive discipline already provided in the contract.

Cain told the council the arbitration panel found the union’s package to be the panel’s choice in the binary process and that the written opinion provides guidance on where reforms could be negotiated going forward. Staff recommended the council accept the award rather than attempt a public election, noting legal and timing constraints. The council approved the recommendation; one member recorded an abstention as noted in the public record.

The approved agreement includes pay adjustments that align with those given to general city employees, revisions to vacation carryover, and changes to overtime compensation, while leaving the city and union to continue bargaining over promotional reform and sick‑leave policies within the contract framework.