Collective Bargaining Agreement Fire 06/15/2026

The City of El Paso, Texas, held a collective bargaining agreement negotiation meeting with Local 51 on June 15, 2026, focusing primarily on firefighter wages, incentives, benefits, and working conditions. Key procurement-related discussions included the city's counter proposals on wage increases, incentive pay for field training officers, bilingual pay, and specialty team incentives. The city accepted several proposals with effective dates to be determined, while rejecting others due to financial constraints or policy considerations. The meeting also covered health insurance reforms, including the creation of a health care trust committee to explore cost-saving measures for active and retired firefighters, though the city rejected immediate implementation of a full health care trust system within the contract term. Additional topics included uniform allowances, overtime and compensatory time policies, vacation and sick leave sell-back programs, and the establishment of various labor-management committees to address health, safety, equipment, and professional development. The city emphasized ongoing dialogue and further research before finalizing contract terms, with a follow-up meeting scheduled for June 25, 2026.