BEAUMONT, Texas — The Beaumont Professional Firefighters Union met with the City of Beaumont today to continue working toward a new contract, but did not reach an agreement.
Tuesday's negotiations began with a recap of the previous meeting. They reviewed the articles that were discussed and tentatively agreed on in the last meeting. This included several things like management rights, union business, seniority, promotions, vacations and temporary promotions.
They then reviewed the current agenda. The city and union focused on counter proposals such as health and safety, hours and overtime and temporary promotions.
They said there are pending articles and emphasized the need to review all articles as a complete package, especially those related to pay, pensions and educational incentives, which they plan to address later in the negotiations.
Both sides confirmed dates for future meetings, clarifying availability and making adjustments as necessary to meet the contractual deadline of December 9. They also tentatively agree to a potential impasse document by December 5, with a final meeting planned on December 6.
The city attorney raised a question about adding the assistant chief title to the wage table, noting that this addition was previously agreed upon. They seek to clarify if this is still the case or if any changes have occurred since the last meeting.
Both sides continued with ongoing discussions about salary adjustments, staffing levels and the distinction between contract negotiations and policy within the fire department.
Under health and safety issues, the city wanted to begin random drug testing of firefighters. The union asked the city for copies of what is proposed, and this will be discussed in the future.
They discussed the assistant chief's salary and bargaining. There was a back-and-forth about whether the assistant chief's salary should be set by the city or negotiated, as it is typically part of the firefighter bargaining unit. The union seems to feel that wage adjustments should be collectively negotiated, including for this role.
They also discussed minimum staffing levels and policy vs. contractual terms. Both sides agree that if they need more than four hours for meetings, they can extend with mutual consent.
Both sides agreed to meet again on December 2.