The city of Fort Worth and the union representing its firefighters have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that calls for pay raises and other provisions.
The preliminary agreement calls for a 5% across-the-board raise for firefighters and EMS employees, plus annual step pay increases in fiscal year 2027. Additionally, the tentative agreement calls for firefighters and EMS to receive market raises in fiscal 2028, 2029 and 2030.
The four-year agreement has gone to the membership of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association Local 440 for ratification Monday-Wednesday this week. The Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to vote Sept. 29 on the tentative agreement.
“I’m really proud of what we're able to deliver,” Zac Shaffer, president of IAFF 440, told the Fort Worth Report. “You know, nothing’s ever perfect. It is bargaining, there is working together, there is some compromise, and a lot of it is really just explaining the perspective from this side of the table to that.”
City officials declined to answer the Report’s questions about the tentative agreement but confirmed the council is scheduled to vote on it Sept. 29.
The 440 declared in July it had reached an impasse in negotiations, accusing the city of not bargaining in good faith.
Shaffer said both sides were able to find a compromise after expressing their concerns and needs.
The 440 meets with city staff to negotiate a contract every four years. The contract governs the working conditions and standards for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.
Among other points, the tentative agreement limits use of part-time firefighters based on staffing levels and special events.
Also, hours were allocated to the Association Business Leave Pool, which are hours for members to conduct business without losing pay. Those hours increased from 1,684 to 2,357, and the number of unused hours available to carry over was increased from 425 to 595.
The relief ratio, or extra crew needed when personnel are on vacation, was increased from 20% to 40%, and minimum daily staff requirement increased from 248 to 252.
After the union declared an impasse in July, the city said it had offered a contract proposal of $40 million in new investments and a 20% salary increase over four years, according to a city news release.
It included continued investments in training and equipment, compensation for leave benefits, overtime provisions, incentives to support responsible sick leave usage and greater flexibility to hire personnel to maintain appropriate staffing levels during employee absences.
The union’s contract proposal totaled about $152 million, including requests for additional staffing and benefit provisions city officials said would significantly increase costs “at a time when the city is preparing for what could become a historic budget deficit,” according to the city’s release.
The city was facing a projected $94 million shortfall for 2027 but closed that. Council members last week approved a new budget that includes an 8.5% placeholder for fire, based on the outcome of the contract negotiations.
Shaffer said wages, work volume and staffing played major roles in what was negotiated for firefighters and emergency medical services. He declined to elaborate on specifics.
Last year, the city took its emergency medical services in-house, moving MedStar services to the fire department under an agreement with 14 other member cities. The fire department absorbed 650 MedStar employees.
The contract will run from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2030.
Kamal Morgan is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at kamal@fortworthreport.org.
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