City of Austin and Austin Firefighters Associciation reach tentative agreement on labor contract

Late Friday evening, the City of Austin and the Austin Firefighters Association reached a tentative agreement on a four-year labor contract. The tentative agreement includes the following key elements:

• Pay increases for firefighters in all four years of the agreement.
  • Year 1 - A pay scale adjustment that increases employee pay by 2.9% or more based on position and tenure within the department. As a result, most current employees will see an increase of 4.2% and the entry-level firefighter salary will be increased by 5.5% to assist with recruitment.
  • Year 2, 3, 4 - A cumulative 10.5% wage increase over the final three years of the agreement - 3%, 3.5% and 4%, respectively.
    
• Reduced work schedule known as the "Austin Schedule" - provides for one day on shift, three days of rest, two days on shift, and three days of rest, resulting in an average 49.8-hour work week. Austin would be the first major metropolitan city in the state of Texas to move towards this type of work schedule. To accomplish this, the City will hire additional full-time firefighters and, in exchange, firefighters will return to a 53-hour work schedule for 18 months. The new Austin Schedule will be fully implemented in October 2027.
  
• Flexible hiring, including the ability to hire firefighters who are already certified.
  
• Streamlined promotions process.

"I am pleased we have reached a tentative agreement that invests in our firefighters, ensuring not only pay increases, but also a work schedule that prioritizes firefighter wellness," City Manager T.C. Broadnax said. "Ultimately, this tentative agreement makes all of us safer and is an important step in the right direction."

"The AFA is pleased to reach a tentative agreement to take to our membership for consideration that includes an implementation plan for a new work schedule that will provide the much needed recovery time between their arduous work shifts. We also appreciate the fair and equitable pay advancements that will help with the recruitment and retention of our workforce," said the AFA Bargaining Team.

The tentative agreement must be ratified by the Austin Firefighter Association's membership and will be presented for City Council consideration in October.