City inks new contracts with fire rank-and-file, police and fire management unions

Stockton’s rank-and-file firefighters, fire management and police management have come to a bargaining agreement with the city.

At the July 12 Stockton City Council meeting, the council approved contracts through June 2025 with the Stockton Firefighters’ Local 456 Fire Unit, Stockton Firefighters’ Local 456 Fire Management Unit and the Stockton Police Management Association. The city had been in negotiations with the public safety unions since March.

City Manager Harry Black said the new contracts allow the city to make significant progress toward reducing the pay gap in public safety compensation compared to other regional cities.

“This is probably the most impactful negotiation cycle in 15 years for the city, particularly post-bankruptcy,” Black said. “Based on our numbers, this will allow us to go from a double-digit below-market situation to low single-digit below-market.”

The police and fire management union agreements include a 10% increase to base pay immediately, a 3% increase July 2023 and 2024, a $5,000 bonus to all employees January 2024 and an increase to the city’s health contribution effective immediately.

The rank-and-file fire union contract includes a 9.65% increase to base pay immediately, a 3% increase July 2023 and 2024, a $5,000 bonus to all employees January 2024 and an increase to the city’s health contribution effective immediately.

The contracts are larger cost-of-living adjustments and pay bumps than when the unions last negotiated contracts with the city in 2020, according to city staff reports. The total three-year cost of the new contract increases is $21,392,656, most of which will come out of the general fund. Health contribution increases account for $417,960.

“The contracts that have been negotiated and approved are generous, but we felt that it made sense for today. Based on the impacts of the pandemic, based on the previous bankruptcy, we knew the contracts this go-around were going to have to be different,” Black said. “We’re stretching in a responsible way, this is the furthest that we could go at this time.”

Inking deals with unions and special interest groups has been a sensitive subject for Stockton since the city’s bankruptcy involving a deal giving firefighters full healthcare in retirement. Black confirmed the new contracts fit within the purview of the city’s long-range financial plan.

The Stockton Police Officers Association returned to the negotiating table with the city July 20 but did not come to an agreement. The rank-and-file police union soundly rejected the city’s last contract offer, with new union leadership citing it would have done nothing to curb the exodus of Stockton’s police officers. Murders in Stockton are up and the number of sworn Stockton police officers has dropped below 400 for the first time since July 2016.

ICYMI: Stockton police union rejects city's latest contract offer as staffing shortfall grows

Black said the deal on the table would reduce the current pay gap to 5% from 20%. Union leadership disputes Black’s interpretation of the pay gap and has said officer pay is 34% less than comparable cities under new contracts negotiated this year.

“The deal that’s on the table would reduce the 20% (pay gap) to 5%,” Black said. “The strategy is: let’s take this bargaining cycle as far as we can go, try to knock that number down and set ourselves up for even greater success when we get to the next bargaining cycle in 2025. Based on what’s on the table, we would most likely be able to reduce the gap to zero when we get to the next cycle.”

Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: 'Generous' new contracts for fire, police and fire management unions