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Beaumont Firefighters Union, City leaders fail to reach contract agreement during third meeting

Higher pay and workers comp are some of the sticking points for the Beaumont Professional Firefighters Union.

BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont firefighters and city leaders met on Wednesday afternoon for their third meeting to negotiate a new contract, but they did not come to an agreement.

City council members and union leaders spent four hours in negotiations with the union countering several of the city's provisions to their proposal.

Higher pay and workers comp are some of the sticking points for the Beaumont Professional Firefighters Union.

While the city wants to add an additional assistant fire chief.

 "Given the expansion of the department, it's necessary that we include a second assistant chief. That's pretty much a non-negotiable for us," said Beaumont City Attorney Sharae Reed.

The union argued they still lack the manpower to justify another assistant chief.

"The idea has been to grow the department for the last three years and we haven't done it. We're 18 short plus the number that we have short in EMS and we're not doing anything to change that. And we haven't for a very long time," said Cody Hendon, Vice President of the Local 399.

RELATED: "It's a joke" | Beaumont Firefighters Union, City of Beaumont fail to reach contract agreement, schedule more meetings

The union also countered the city's proposals for incentive pay, which included a one-time payment of $500 for employees earning an associates degree on the job. The union wants a monthly incentive pay of $150. 

"Our justification behind this is we've obviously struggled with hiring people in the department. We're looking for every single way we can to incentivize people to come to our department. Retention has also been a problem," said Union President Jeff Nesom.

The city also wants to reduce what they're calling an "abuse of over-time" in the department's communications division by adjusting scheduling. But the union argues the division was already cut down to just two employees.

"We're already risking efficient operations in that office with the minimum staffing being that low," Nesom said.

Firefighters are now working under an extension to their current contract which they can do for up to a year.

"Our contract expired on September 30 of this year. We are now working under the Evergreen clause," Newsom previously said.

The city’s proposal for wages and pension was  16% divided over four years with a minimum of 2% allocated to pension and no more than 4% combined allocated in any year.

For example if 3% was allocated to wages then the maximum contribution to the pension would be 1% or if 2% was allocated to the pension then the maximum contribution to wages would be 2% according to the city.

Beaumont City Manager Kenneth Williams and chief union negotiator Joe Tellez do agree negotiations are making significant progress.

"It's important that we're sitting down and talking and having these meaningful conversations," Williams said.

"Now we're going to focus on issues that have more meat and substance to them," said Tellez.

The union and city council have agreed to continue contract negotiations on Tuesday, November 12.

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