Firefighter Contract Highlights Citizen and Firefighter ...

(April 10, 2024)

Omaha, NE - A tentative four-year contract agreement has been reached with Omaha Firefighters Local 385. Mayor Jean Stothert, Local 385 President Trevor Towey and Assistant Fire Chief Jason Bradley announced the agreement Wednesday.

The agreement includes a 15% wage increase over the four-year term of the contract. Wages will increase 5% in 2024, 4% IN 2025, and 3% in 2026 and 2027.

Additional contract highlights include:

• Improved paramedic and EMT staffing on medic units

The tentative agreement allows greater use of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). All Omaha firefighters are trained EMTs. Omaha Fire also has 258 trained firefighter/paramedics, with 12 others currently training. The change will allow four medic units to be staffed with firefighter/EMTs to provide increased training opportunities and expand the pool of personnel working on medic units. Salaries for lead paramedics will increase. These changes address the increasing calls for medical emergencies.

• Allow additional 3-person rigs for staffing flexibility

The agreement allows for additional 3-person rigs if the city maintains 95% of budgeted positions and the callback process is exhausted. This option can be used twelve days annually and allows fire management to keep rigs in service to ensure fire trucks are available to respond to all areas of the city during every shift. (Callback refers to calling back available personnel to fill vacancies on a shift.) This is in addition to the 3-person rigs currently allowed.

OFD is budgeted for 669 firefighters. A 32-person recruit class graduated in February and is currently completing field training. Another recruit class is planned this year.

• Increase the 'Widow's Pension"

Increase this pension benefit to 90% for firefighters hired after January 2, 2013, providing an equal benefit for all firefighters. Previously, those hired after 2013 received 50%. The City and the employees will increase their pension contributions in equal amounts to fund the enhanced benefit, and to ensure no adverse impact to the pension fund.

Local 385 and the City previously negotiated new terms to the Firefighter's Health Care Trust setting annual premium contributions to the Trust by the City and the employees through 2027. The new Health Care Trust agreement was approved by the City Council in September 2023 and is already in effect. Firefighters are the only city employees who are not insured under the city's standard medical insurance plan.

"We will continue our high level of fire protection and emergency response for our citizens, generously compensate our sworn firefighters and protect their families, and give the fire chief flexibility to make staffing decisions," said Mayor Stothert.

"This tentative agreement provides fair compensation, corrects critical retirement benefits, and addresses the increasing workload of Omaha paramedics and firefighters. It is a reasonable investment for public safety and for the firefighters who provide it," said Local 385 President Towey. "I am confident we have addressed all the issues important to firefighters."

The previous contract with Local 385 expired at the end of 2023. The new four-year agreement will be retroactive following a vote by the union membership, approval of the Omaha Personnel Board and the Omaha City Council.

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