SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio's negotiating team made the following contract proposal Tuesday to the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Union at a scheduled collective bargaining meeting.
The offer includes:
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- Pay increases for firefighters of 12 percent over four years, including a lump sum of 3 percent upon signing
- No monthly health care premiums for fire uniform employees; families would make monthly contributions not to exceed $346
- Elimination of taxpayer-funded legal fund that pays for firefighters' divorces and child custody disputes, among other things
- Changing the 10-year "evergreen clause" to six months to provide ample time to finish negotiations while capping the continuation of benefits
"We believe this is a fair and generous offer," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "Firefighters contributing modestly to the cost of health care for their families would allow the city to give firefighters a much-deserved and long-overdue pay raise. We urge the union to think about what is best for both their members and the taxpayers they serve and (to) come to the table to work out the rest of the details in the contract."
The health care and wages proposal would keep public safety spending at less than 66 percent of the General Fund Budget, as directed by City Council. Employee contributions would drive the cost of providing healthcare down from more than $20,000 to less than $15,000.
Fire union officials, who didn't attend the meeting, said they will not return to the bargaining table until the city drops its lawsuit against the union, which is challenging part of the union's contract that expired in 2014.
The family contribution for health care is less than what firefighters in Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston currently pay, according to a city news release.