The city of El Paso and the firefighters’ union made progress on portions of a new labor contract Monday but remained divided on costly pay and benefits proposals as negotiations continue ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.
City leaders accepted, rejected or counteroffered multiple proposals during the latest bargaining session, leaving unresolved a gap of tens of millions of dollars. The union is seeking about $66 million in pay and benefit increases over four years, while the city’s offer would cost about $38 million — a difference with implications for both firefighters and taxpayers.
“We could have been done with the full thing on the first day if they (the city) just said yes to everything, but of course that’s not very realistic,” Jay Nicholson, union president, told El Paso Matters.
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Nicholson said they are about 75% into the negotiation process, but still need to work on key areas such as pay and insurance.
“That’s going to be the huge one (the pay),” Nicholson said.
The fire collective bargaining agreement proposal introduced April 7 included increased wages, compensation and incentive pay. The city countered April 17 – neither side has formally agreed to any of the changes.
“The city continues to negotiate in good faith with Local 51 and remains committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement,” Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino said in an emailed statement to El Paso Matters.
He said that the city is only negotiating items that can be supported with the next year’s budget.
“If an agreement includes provisions that require funding beyond what is available in the (fiscal year 2027) budget, those provisions would not take effect until a future fiscal year when funding is identified and approved,” D’Agostino said.
Related: Bigger budget, bigger costs: City of El Paso leaders begin debate over city spending plan
The preliminary Fire Department budget for the next fiscal year is about $168 million – a $9 million increase over the previous year, largely driven by existing collective bargaining obligations and rising operational costs.
The estimated impact of the union’s proposal for the next fiscal year alone is about $17 million, while the city’s would be about $10 million, according to city documents.
D’Agostino said due to the timing of negotiations, any agreed-upon salary increases would not necessarily take effect immediately, adding that the preliminary budget was developed with negotiations in mind.
The current four-year contract will expire Aug. 31 – shortly after the city adopts its budget for the next fiscal year that begins Sept. 1. If the city and union do not come to an agreement before the contract expires, the current one will remain in place until both sides approve new terms.
El Paso firefighters worked to put out a March 2023 fire at La Nube STEAM Discovery Center in March 2023 when the Downtown children’s museum was under construction. (Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Matters)
Here’s where some key proposals stand as of June 15:
| Union proposal | City stance |
| Annual pay increases: 7.5% annual pay increase upon signing employment agreement or completing the training academy. Current scale provides 3% annual increases. | Counter-offered: 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), a 5% step increase in the first year, and 2.5% pay raises in the remaining years of the contract. |
| Longevity pay: Increase from $5 per month per year of service (max $125/month) to $10 per month per year of service (max $250/month). | Accepted. |
| Out-of-class pay: Increase compensation for taking on duties above rank from 5% to 10%. | Rejected. |
| Field training officer pay: Additional 5% pay while assigned to a probationary firefighter during the full 12-month probation period. | Accepted. |
| Bilingual pay: $500 annually after passing a city-administered language test. | Needs further research. |
| Medical mentor pay: Additional 5% pay while training and mentoring an EMT-Basic or EMT Paramedic for up to three months. | Accepted. |
| 911 Communications Center assignment pay: Additional 5% pay for uniformed personnel assigned shifts at the 911 Communications Center. | Rejected. |
| Flight medic / critical care paramedic incentive pay: 10% incentive pay for ground critical care transport assignments and 15% incentive pay for FireSTAR helicopter transport assignments. | Counter-offered: 5% incentive pay. |
The City Council and the majority of the union’s 900 members must vote on a final agreement before it will take effect. If the parties do not come to an agreement through standard negotiations, they can enter mediation or seek an election where voters may decide on the proposals.
The El Paso Municipal Police Officers’ Association will renegotiate its collective bargaining agreement with the city before it expires in August 2027, which will likely impact the 2028 fiscal year budget.
The city and union are tentatively set to meet again June 25. Click here for a complete list of the proposals and city responses.
The post City of El Paso, firefighters union remain divided on pay, benefit negotiations appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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