Year of negotiations leads to new, 4 year contract for Fort Worth firefighters
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW) - A year of preparations and negotiations has led to a new, four-year contract for firefighters with the City of Fort Worth.
The Fort Worth City Council unanimously approved the agreement on Oct. 25 following 97.4% approval of the proposal by the 970 members of the association. The agreement is the fourth collectively bargained agreement between the city and firefighters, according to the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association.
"This agreement is a win for the city, the taxpayers and for firefighter families. City leaders showed that they are committed to cooperating with firefighters on important issues such as labor-management agreements," said Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association President Michael Glynn. "This was the culmination of more than a year's worth of work preparing for and then negotiating the new collectively bargained agreement."
The 114-page contract covers 34 workplace areas such as workplace conditions, the fire department health and safety program, promotional exams, and disciplinary procedures. The agreement includes firefighter pay raises of 5%, 3.1%, 3% and 3% during the next four years. It became effective Wednesday and will expire at the end of September 2026.
In a presentation to city council on Tuesday, Zac Shaffer, 1st Vice President of the association, said, "Like you, our goal is to further strengthen our fire department and continue to deliver excellent, cost effective service throughout the city."