Captain J. Nicholson presents pay-and-comp-time package as OMB flags $65.8 million impact for El Paso City

Captain J. Nicholson, president of the firefighters’ union, presented a contract proposal to El Paso City staff that would create a new compensatory-time policy and raise maximum comp-time accrual and payout limits from 240 hours to 480 hours, among other pay and staffing changes.

The union’s presentation, given during a bargaining session with city staff, also proposed a combined 7.5% impact from a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) plus 5% step increases, changes to entry-level steps, expanded specialty-team pay and several committee restructures. Sasha Andorovsky of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said the comp-time change alone represents roughly $65,800,000 in variance over the life of the contract, and OMB provided a separate estimate of $10.5 million in the first year and about $40.1 million over the life of the union’s full 7.5% package.

Why it matters: The package would alter accrual and payout rules that affect overtime liability and staffing flexibility while increasing payroll costs. The city must weigh budget capacity against recruitment and retention concerns the union raised.

OMB and ERI data: Sasha Andorovsky, representing OMB, walked through comparative data derived from ERI (the Employer Resource Index) and explained that OMB limited comparisons to verifiable, published pay scales for peer cities. A committee member questioned whether some 2027 peer data were missing; staff replied the city will update rankings as additional verified information from other jurisdictions becomes available.

Union asks and contract changes: Captain Nicholson reviewed a list of administrative requests and contract amendments the union would like to negotiate, including: - A new article limiting use of fire department personnel for duties outside the stated scope of firefighting and emergency medical support. - Electronic delivery of documents to stations and employees. - Revised categorization and timelines for station repairs in Article 25. - Cleanup of obsolete language and removal of inapplicable text. - Revisions related to 40-hour EMS operations text and association dues deductions. - Creation of a consolidated labor-management relations article establishing new committees (medical/wellness advisory, peer support/critical care, paramedic advisory, professional development/promotional, equipment/apparatus/facilities, plus restructured rules and fitness committees).

Compensation details and specialty pay: The union asked that entry-level firefighter steps be shifted upward (for example, removing step 2 and starting at step 3) and proposed specific step reassignments for several ranks (fire suppression technician, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, deputy chief and assistant chief). The union also requested a 5% assignment pay for flight medical paramedics when working on the Firestar aircraft transport unit and highlighted gaps in existing incentive pays.

Benefits, vacation and health-trust discussion: Nicholson said the union is open to exploring a health-care trust and argued such a move could yield savings for both sides. The union proposed increasing vacation and holiday accruals from the current 75 days to 90 days and asked for language clarifications on drug and alcohol policy, testing, and promotion examinations.

Legal and compliance notes: The moderator and a staff member stated on the record that the presented comp-time language, as described in the session, is compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The union also referenced pending state measures, cited in the presentation as "House Bill 4144" and "House Bill 198 (Wade Cannon Act)," which it said contain unavoidable requirements that factor into benefit and trust discussions.

Department credentials and argument for higher pay: Nicholson highlighted El Paso Fire Department credentials — ISO Class 1 designation, national accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, NAFA fleet recognition and deployable task-force roles including Texas Task Force 1 — and argued those credentials support higher compensation for members.

Next steps: Staff said they would upload slide copies and provide paper copies; participants discussed scheduling another bargaining meeting, with a potential date next Thursday to continue negotiations.

Quotes used in this article are drawn from the session transcript and attributed to the speakers listed in the meeting record.