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Union members and firefighters urge National City Council to raise wages, expand paid leave
Summary
During a National City special council meeting, union representatives and the firefighters' union pressed the council for higher wages, paid bereavement leave and other benefits, saying recent city offers are insufficient and that staffing turnover is costly.
At a special meeting of the National City Council, union representatives and the National City Firefighters Association urged the council to improve wage proposals and expand paid leave during public comment before a scheduled closed-session on litigation and labor negotiations.
Union speakers told the council the current city proposal would leave many employees undercompensated. "The current proposal you're offering is way too low," said Markar, a bargaining unit speaker. Several speakers called for holiday pay, living wages for part-time staff and bilingual pay to reflect additional responsibilities.
Andrew, another negotiator, criticized the exchange of proposals during bargaining, saying the city provided "vague one‑page" responses rather than detailed redlines that would allow the union to prepare realistic counteroffers. "It seems very disrespectful not to return with the same kind of form," Andrew said, arguing that clarity in draft language is needed to complete negotiations.
Carl presented a detailed list of contract priorities, asking for a cost‑of‑living allowance, an added step in the wage table, service recognition credits, comp time, paid bereavement and baby‑bonding leave, fertility benefits, better annual leave accrual and transit passes.
Alex New of the library, speaking by Zoom, urged the council to adopt city‑sponsored paid bereavement leave instead of requiring staff to use sick or annual leave. "It's time for National City to align with this common practice and demonstrate to their employees that they support them," Alex New said, adding that nearby cities commonly offer paid bereavement leave.
Jeremy Day, president of the National City Firefighters, framed compensation as both a fairness and retention issue and cited the department's comparative ranking. "The firefighters in National City are currently compensated at 17 out of 18," Day said, and he warned that a proposed 3% increase in the first year would lower that ranking further over the contract term if similar increases continued.
Speakers also asked the council to close the contract before the fiscal year ends; one union representative said the union represents nearly 200 employees and had spent significant time in negotiations.
After public comment the council convened a closed session to discuss multiple litigation matters and labor negotiations; the city attorney identified cases including BCD v. City of National City, Kelly Mota v. City of National City and Cummins v. City of National City. The presiding officer said the council would report out closed‑session items at the end of the regular council meeting.
No formal vote or contract action was recorded in the public portion of the special meeting.
