Bryan City Council and Bryan Firefighters Association set to discuss mutual agreement

The Bryan Firefighters Association and the city will discuss a proposed meet and confer agreement between both parties at Tuesday night’s Bryan City Council meeting.

The proposals in the agreement, which was set to expire in December before the city allotted a one-month extension to Jan. 31 for negotiations, include revisions to management rights, a no-strike clause, association business, public confidence, fiscal responsibility, staffing, grievances and more.

The city council will discuss the proposal during executive session, which will take place before its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Bryan Municipal Building.

According to Lacey Lively, communications and marketing director for Bryan, both parties have agreed not to discuss the subject with media outside of the scheduled public meetings.

“This prohibition is valid until both parties come to agreement or until at least one party decides to cease discussions by providing the other party with written notice,” she told The Eagle last week.

City staff said the first agreement between the firefighters’ union and the city was approved in 2017, 2020 and ratified again in October 2021 when the council approved an amendment to allow the fire chief an opportunity to appoint a deputy chief and assistant chief.

The proposed agreement includes new articles proposed by the union and city staff as well as a multitude of revisions.

“A city team, including the fire chief, has been involved with reviewing and suggesting new articles within the Meet and Confer Agreement,” city officials stated on the city’s website. “The proposed agreement associated with this council action form is the result of multiple hours of negotiations between the city team and the union.”

One of the revisions to the agreement made by the city addresses management rights for the city, provides a no-strike clause for the union, and addresses the fire chief’s appointed positions: a deputy chief and an assistant chief.

The union included one revision asking to allow a union representative to be present with a firefighter during an oral or written reprimand, suspension or other disciplinary matter with a chief officer, fire marshal or city management.