City, IAFF remain apart on issues of pay, promotional process
Negotiations between the City of Bartlesville and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 200, which represents Bartlesville firefighters, continue this week despite little progress since the sides resumed talks earlier this month.
“We continue to meet with IAFF in good faith and are cautiously optimistic that an agreement could be reached before arbitration, scheduled for Oct. 25-26,” City Attorney Jess Kane said Monday. “However, as the two sides remain apart on the issues of pay and the department’s promotional process, we understand that arbitration is the next step and, as such, we are prepared to present our case at arbitration in October.”
The City is required to negotiate annual contracts with the IAFF Local 200 as well as the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 117, which represents Bartlesville police officers. While an agreement has been reached with the FOP for a 2021-22 Fiscal Year contract, negotiations for a new contract with the IAFF had stalled.
Following several weeks with no response to the City’s last offer, Kane recently began steps to have the matter decided through arbitration. Arbitration is an adversarial procedure resembling a legal hearing in which both sides present their case to an arbitrator, who is appointed by both sides.
If an agreement isn’t reached by the time of arbitration, the arbitrator will render a finding in favor of either the City’s or the union’s “last, best offer.” If the ruling is in favor of the union, the City has the option of asking Bartlesville voters to decide the final outcome.
The City’s most recent offer to the IAFF includes pay increases totaling $527,534. The offer includes salary adjustment increases ranging from 6.5 to 11.5 percent and longevity pay increases ranging from 79 to 367 percent. The highest increase percentage would go to the rank of firefighter, the most populous group of the department, Kane said.
Overall, the City’s offer represents an 11 percent increase in firefighter compensation. In exchange, the City is requesting a change in the department’s promotional procedures that will permit the fire chief and city manager more options when looking at management-level promotional options.
“The City has requested that restrictions be lifted on hiring the deputy chief, which was vacated recently with the promotion of Fire Chief David Topping. This is an entirely administrative position and not even part of the bargaining unit,” Kane said. “We’ve asked that it be removed from the promotional process, which would enable the fire chief and city manager to be able to pick from a wider pool of applicants.”
Currently, only the five most senior applicants can be considered for a promotional position.
Negotiators for both sides are scheduled to meet again on Thursday, Sept. 2.