San Francisco’s firefighters are in line for a hefty pay bump just as City Hall is sharpening its budget ax. Union leaders announced Tuesday that they have struck a tentative four-year deal with the city that would deliver about a 14% pay increase, a pact that now heads to the rank and file and then the Board of Supervisors for approval. The agreement mirrors a recent multiyear package for city police officers and arrives while officials wrestle with a large budget gap.
What the deal includes
As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the tentative contract would phase in roughly 14% in base pay over four years, with most of the cost hitting the city in the later years of the agreement. Firefighters with at least 10 years on the job would also get a 3% retention bonus, which the union says is meant to recognize added training and education. "It supports our firefighters and paramedics on the frontlines while recognizing the city’s financial responsibilities," Local 798 president Sam Gebler said, calling the pact fair and striking the right balance.
Why watchdogs say the timing is risky
A recent SPUR analysis points out that police and fire labor talks together will influence nearly $1 billion in annual spending, or about 39% of San Francisco’s discretionary budget. Those public safety deals, the group warns, can quickly become the template for thousands of other city workers.
In its March research, SPUR modeled how even modest across-the-board raises and retention incentives could widen San Francisco’s budget gap and squeeze the money available for city services.
Mayor Lurie faces trade-offs
Mayor Daniel Lurie has praised the agreement, saying it gives firefighters the resources they need to continue protecting San Franciscans every day, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. At the same time, the city’s official Five-Year Financial Plan projects a roughly $875.9 million two-year shortfall, and Lurie’s budget team has instructed departments to draft plans to cut roughly 500 filled positions to help close the gap.
KQED and the city’s Five-Year Financial Plan both detail the staffing directive and the looming deficit, underscoring how every new labor deal tightens the screws on other parts of the budget.
What happens next
If firefighters approve the tentative pact, the memorandum of understanding will move to the Board of Supervisors for formal adoption and any related budget votes. The union has not publicly set a date for the membership vote, and supervisors must take up the agreement in an open meeting before it can take effect.
City Hall meeting records spell out how labor memoranda of understanding travel through the board and budget process, a path this deal will follow if it clears the union and reaches supervisors’ desks.
