The City notified IAFF of its request to enter into negotiations for the current MOU expiring June 30, 2022, on August 16, 2021, as required by the MOU. A budget briefing was held with IAFF on August 9, 2021, to begin the process prior to IAFF meeting with City Council on September 9, 2021. An executive session was held on September 23, 2021, and formal negotiation meetings commenced October 12, 2021, with a tentative agreement made on October 19, 2021. All articles in the MOU were open to negotiations. The City and IAFF were able to reach agreement on a two (2) year MOU that will be in effect from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The agreement does not include any areas to be reopened during the term. The Meet and Confer ordinance was last amended in October 2018 and allows for the MOU to continue from year to year after the initial term above ends absent notice by either party of its desire to amend or modify the MOU through Meet and Confer. Substantive changes to the MOU include:
- Fund ongoing merit increases of up to 5% for both FY 22/23 and FY 23/24 for all eligible Firefighters, Fire Engineers, and Fire Captains covered under the MOU.
- Effective July 1, 2022, the market position will increase from 4th to 3rd Market with total cash compensation methodology as the measure for any market increase to occur in August 2022. In FY 23/24, upon completion and acceptance of the citywide classification and compensation study, if the City adopts a pay philosophy that would result in a greater pay increase than the methodology set forth in this MOU, this philosophy will be incorporated into the MOU and applied to the August 2023 survey.
- Effective July 1, 2022, once an employee is eligible for longevity and meets the criteria outlined the MOU, longevity will continue regardless of ranks covered in the MOU. Additionally, employees may be eligible for both merit and longevity (if applicable) with no 5% combined cap on the payment.
- Effective July 1, 2022, employee vacation cash-out caps will increase for a 40-hour/week employee from 40 hours to 52 hours and for a 56-hour/week employee from 56 hours to 72 hours per year.
- Effective July 1, 2023, if a retiring employee has five (5) or more years of service, the contribution into their retirement health savings (RHS) account will increase from $800 per twelve (12) months of City service to $900, prorated for any partial year.
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) language was updated throughout the agreement.
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