Collective Bargaining - Fire 6/25/2026

The City of El Paso, Texas, held a collective bargaining meeting on June 25, 2026, focused primarily on negotiations with the fire department union regarding health care enrollment, employee contributions, and contract language. Key procurement-related discussions included the city's proposal for a 22% increase in employee health care contributions over several fiscal years, with detailed rate projections provided. The city also addressed challenges related to property tax caps that could impact funding for any agreed-upon contract increases, proposing language to manage budget shortfalls if voter approval for tax increases is not obtained. Additional topics included negotiations on wage steps, bilingual pay, specialty team pay, and critical care paramedic incentives, with some proposals accepted, others withdrawn or rejected pending further review. The meeting also covered the establishment of a temporary labor management committee to explore health care trust feasibility and discussed procedural matters such as discipline review boards. No formal votes were recorded, but several counterproposals and agreements were noted, with follow-up meetings scheduled to continue negotiations and finalize contract language.