AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Firefighters Association could take actions that may ultimately reduce the Austin Fire Department’s workforce after they say contract negotiations with the city have stalled.
“It does not appear at this time the City was ever serious about bargaining in good faith,” Ronald DeLord, an attorney representing the union, said. In a letter, which the union posted to its social media pages, DeLord recommended between now and Sept. 28, “when the impasse is legally triggered” the union consider the following:
- Start an education campaign “to assist its members who are not vested in the pension in locating cities that have negotiated competitive wages and adopted hours of work that reduce the physical and mental stress on firefighters”
- Reach out to all candidates applying for AFD to tell them “there is no future in working for the City of Austin.” That includes a public media campaign and having off-duty firefighters stand at testing sites to tell candidates “The City does NOT respect its firefighters”
- And allow the union to vote on whether it will support Austin’s tax rate election or not
“Time is of the essence. It is time to stop the anti-firefighter rhetoric and hardball negotiations,” DeLord wrote.
A city of Austin spokesperson responded with the following:
“The City is currently in negotiations with the Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) for a four-year agreement. The 60-day bargaining period began on July 30 and ends on September 28.
The City presented a proposal on September 10 based on market rate studies of comparable fire departments. The City’s proposal served as a starting point for discussion and included a plan to achieve the union’s desired modified schedule and reduced work week. Rather than offer a counterproposal, the AFA walked away from negotiations. The City values all of our employees and first responders, including our firefighters, and would like the AFA to return to the table and resume negotiations.
We were recently successful in protecting our firefighters’ pension, implementing a 2% increase to their hourly rate, and reducing their work hours. The City is committed to negotiating in good faith and we are confident that we can reach a reasonable agreement with all parties at the table.“
The union and city are in the middle of contract negotiations for a four-year contract. The current contract expires in October, KXAN previously reported. You can find the details of the previous contract here.
Bob Nicks, the AFA president, said the city is now offering a 4% raise for roughly half of the department in year one, and then no general wage increase for the following three years. The union is also arguing for different firefighter work weeks and is at odds with the city over that too, Nicks said.
“Our goals have not changed. Basically, we want a wage offer like EMS and Police and a work week reduction. In exchange, the firefighters are willing to provide changes to the labor agreement that the City has been desiring for years,” Nicks wrote.