Negotiations continue between the City of Bartlesville and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 200, though the groups are set to meet this week in an effort to reach an agreement for a 2001-22 Fiscal Year contract.
“I am happy to say we have a meeting set with (the IAFF) on Thursday,” City Attorney Jess Kane told the City Council during an update on the City’s collective bargaining groups on Monday.
The City is required to negotiate annual contracts with two groups of City employees who are represented by bargaining agents: police officers, who are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 117, and firefighters, who are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 200.
While an agreement has been reached between the City and the FOP for a 2021-22 Fiscal Year contract, negotiations for a new contract with the IAFF have stalled. The City and IAFF have been deadlocked for more than a month, Kane said, with the upcoming meeting — set for Aug. 5 — being the first interaction between the two since that time.
“This is the first contact we’ve had with them in some time,” Kane said. “Unfortunately, I can’t really tell you what’s in store for that meeting.”
Kane said if an agreement isn’t reached on Thursday, the City will continue to seek arbitration on the issue and has taken steps to that end. 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. 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.
Kane said proposed dates for arbitration are Sept. 27 and Sept. 29 or Oct. 25-26.
“We are moving forward with that as quickly as we can,” he said. “However, we are hopeful that continued negotiations will make it not necessary to arbitrate.”