The union representing Chicago’s rank-and-file firefighters has reached a tentative contract agreement with the city, which if approved would end four years of negotiations.
Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 and Mayor Brandon Johnson both confirmed the tentative contract agreement on Tuesday. The city’s rank-and-file firefighters have been working without a contract since 2021, when their previous contract with the city ended.
The two sides have not disclosed terms of the agreement, but the mayor confirmed it would include back pay, and pay raises similar to the 5% raises awarded to police officers in the city’s 2023 contract deal with the Fraternal Order of Police.
“We have worked hard to get this deal done. Obviously, there are still some steps that have to be taken in order for this to be finalized,” Johnson said. “Since taking office, we’ve landed dozens and dozens of contracts. This one was important to me, and I’m glad that we are moving forward.”
Johnson said the city has budgeted for the back pay included in the contract. It’s unclear exactly how much the back pay and raises will cost, but the total will undoubtedly reach the hundreds of millions.
Other issues that had been on the bargaining table included required staffing levels for fire trucks and the number of ambulances in the department’s fleet.
The tentative deal must be ratified by the union and approved by the Chicago City Council. If either the union or the council votes down the tentative agreement, the two sides would have to return to the bargaining table.
The union has scheduled a series of meetings over the next two weeks to inform rank-and-file firefighters about the terms of the agreement before holding a ratification vote.
The City Council is not scheduled to meet again until late September, though if the union ratifies the deal before then, the mayor could introduce the deal to the council before the next meeting in order to schedule a final vote for September.