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[ CITY OF BAYTOWN NOTICE OF MEETING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SESSION BETWEEN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN AND THE BAYTOWN PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS'S ASSOCIATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2025 8:00 A.M. BAYTOWN CONFERENCE ROOM, BAYTOWN CITY HALL 2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM ]
WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.THIS IS A COLLECTIVE ARGUMENT SESSION BETWEEN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN AND THE BAYTOWN PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTER ASSOCIATION IS 35TH, 45, 8 0 3.
FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS SIX COMMENTS.
[a. Consider the Baytown Professional Firefighters' Association's collective bargaining proposals.]
A IS TO CONSIDER PLAY ASSOCIATIONS LAST MEETING.[b. Consider the City of Baytown's collective bargaining proposals.]
TO TWO B.THIS IS TO CONSIDER THE CITY OF BAYTOWN COLLECTIVE PARKING PROCESS.
SO, UM, WE ARE, UM, SO THIS IS THE MANAGEMENT WRITES ARTICLE, UH, WHICH WE, UH, HAVE PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED.
UM, Y'ALL ASKED TO HOLD BECAUSE Y'ALL HAVE REQUESTED A CHANGE IN THE HOURS OF WORK ARTICLE, WHICH IS ARTICLE 20, AND I'LL GIVE YOU THAT AS WELL.
SO BOTH OF THESE ARTICLES WE ARE PRESENTING, UM, BACK WITH THE LANGUAGE WHAT THAT, UM, IS IN OUR PREVIOUS CONTRACT.
EITHER ONE OF THOSE IS WHAT WE'RE PROPOSED.
THE NEXT ARTICLE IS ARTICLE 19, AND THIS IS INSURANCE BENEFITS.
UM, YOU ALL HAD, UH, PROPOSED BRINGING BACK RETIRING BENEFITS.
UM, WE KIND OF DISCUSSED FINANCIALLY THE COST OF THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY CAN DO.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE RHS, UH, AS AN ALTERNATE KIND OF APPROACH TO THAT.
UM, NOT READY, YOU KNOW, TO AGREE ON THAT.
UM, HOWEVER YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE GET OUR COMPENSATION PROPOSAL, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO WANT TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF THIS ARTICLE.
WE, THE NEXT ARTICLE, AND I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH POLICIES AND, UM, YEAH, I KNOW.
I SAW HIM YESTERDAY AND I WAS LIKE, DOUBLE TAKE THE SUMMER DUE
UM, THE NEXT ARTICLE IS, UH, PROMOTIONS.
AND SO BOTH SIDES PROPOSE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THAT.
UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY, UH, OKAY, KEEP IT BACK TO ME.
THAT'S WHY I STARTED LOOKING AT IT AND I'M LIKE, THIS IS NOT, YEAH, I WAS LIKE, WHY IS THIS SO LITTLE MARKED UP? OKAY, WE'LL BRING THAT BACK.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT ONE? UM, IT WAS OUR PROPOSAL, UM, FROM THE LAST TIME.
AND SO, AND OUR, I'LL TELL YOU, OUR INTENT WAS TO BRING BACK THE PROMOTIONS AS IT EXISTS IN OUR CONTRACT.
WE'LL GET BACK, UH, THE NEXT ARTICLE IS TERMINAL LEAVE.
THEY'RE PROBABLY, UM, IT'S ONLY DROPPED TO 64.8.
UM, ALL RIGHT, SO TURN, LEAVE.
THIS IS, UH, THE LANGUAGE THAT EXISTS IN CURRENT, CURRENT, UM, CONTRACT.
AND SO WE ARE PROPOSING TO LEAVE THAT THE SAME AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL OPTIONS IN TERMS OF PAYOUT CONNECTED WITH THE RS THAT
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WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THESE, THE CURRENT CONTRACT AS ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS, UM, GOING TO BE COMPETITION.UM, FIRST OF ALL, UM, AND LEMME GIVE YOU, UM, AND SO THE, THE CHANGE HERE MM-HMM
UM, OF COURSE WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE BASE COMPENSATION.
UH, THE OTHER CHANGE IS TAKING OUT THAT HAS THAT CERTIFICATION PAY, UM, THAT PREVIOUSLY HAD TALKED ABOUT.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY CHANGE IN ALL OF THE WORDING OF, UM, IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL COMPENSATION PROPOSAL.
UM, WE ARE PROPOSING A, UH, A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT, UM, WITH, UH, THE FIRST THREE YEARS OR, OR SEVEN UP.
SO A 4% OF FOUR, FIVE AND FOUR 5% AND YEARS FOUR AND FIVE WOULD BE WAGE FOR OPENERS.
AND THEN, UM, AS DO HAVE END HERE ABOUT CONTINUING DISCUSSIONS ON RHS, UM, TALK ABOUT THAT AND LOOK AT THAT, UH, IN FUTURE YEARS AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN, UM, SALARY CHART.
THIS IS YOUR ONE HERE? YEAH, JUST FOR YEAR ONE.
THE OTHER THING, UM, THAT WE DID WANT JUST, UM, TO KNOW TWO OTHER THINGS ACTUALLY.
SO ONE IS THE OVERTIME ARTICLE.
WE HAVE NOT REACHED AGREEMENT ON THAT ARTICLE.
WE ARE NOT BRINGING THAT ARTICLE BACK.
UM, IN TERMS OF, SO THAT ARTICLE CONTAINS TWO THINGS THAT HAVE SOME OF THE THINGS AROUND, UM, WHAT QUALIFIED FOR OVERTIME AND WENT OVER AND ABOVE THE FLSA.
UM, WE ARE MAKING A DECISION TO BE, WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE FFLS A DEFINITION.
UM, AND THEN THE REST OF THAT ARTICLE HAD TO DO WITH PROCEDURAL ISSUES OF CALLING IN OVER TIME.
THEY DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE IN
AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER THING, UM, THAT WAS BEEN MENTIONED IN TERMS OF, UM, CONNECTION WITH THE COMPENSATION, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, A COMPENSATION STUDY NEXT YEAR FOR THAT IS OUR DEFINITION OF MARKET.
UM, AND SO WE WILL BE LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AT THAT DEFINITION OF MARKET AS WELL AS REGULAR POSITION INVOLVED THE LAST TIME WE DID.
AND SO WE WILL TAKE A SIMILAR APPROACH WHERE ITS FIVE YEARS, SIX YEARS BET.
I BET IT WAS BEFORE OUR SIXTH YEAR.
SO IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE OUR SIX YEARS CONTRACT.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO TO GO ALONG WITH THAT, UM, JUST SO WE'LL HAVE IT IN FRONT OF Y'ALL, IT'S TALKING, SO, UM, JUST THE DURATION OF THE AGREEMENT.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS SET, UM, AS UH, FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT.
UM, SO THAT'S THE LANGUAGE AROUND THAT.
AND THIS IS THE LANGUAGE AROUND THE ER.
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OKAY.ANY QUESTIONS, UM, THAT Y'ALL HAVE? YEP.
SO I GUESS I, I'M NOT PAYING QUITE ATTENTION.
WHEN YOU FIRST SAID IT ON THE, UH, OVERTIME ARTICLE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MM-HMM
UM, WERE YOU GONNA LEAVE IT THE SAME OR YOU'RE SAYING Y'ALL AREN'T READY TO BRING IT BACK TO US AT THIS POINT? WE NOT HAVE AGREED UPON ARTICLE.
SO IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE CONFERENCE AT ALL.
IF WE DON'T AGREE UPON SOMETHING, THEN WE WOULD'VE TO GO TO ARBITRATION ABOUT IT.
WE'LL JUST GET RID OF ARTICLES BECAUSE DON'T AGREE UPON LAST TIME.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THE CONTRACT THEN.
AND SO WE HAVE TO EVERGREEN CLOSET.
SO WHAT HAND LEGALLY IS THAT IF NEITHER SIDE BRINGS IT UP, THEN EITHER SIDE WANTS IT IN THE CONTRACT.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A CONTRACT FROM SCRATCH.
SO IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU WANT IN ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER HAS TO BRING UP, IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP.
SO YOU BRING UP A CHANGE, YOU BRING UP A CHANGE.
WE CAN NEGOTIATE MORE ON IT IF YOU WANT, BUT IT'S, IF, IF WE CAN'T COME TO AN AGREEMENT, THEN IT, IT, IT'S OUR POSITION THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAD ONCE IN A COME THAT THAT WILL ABSOLUTELY NEVER HOLD UP THE THIS, WE COULD WALK IN HERE AND PICK AN ARTICLE THAT YOU'VE HAD IN PLACE FOR THE DURATION OF THIS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CITY HAVING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
WE WANNA CHANGE IT AND MAKE A PREPOSTEROUS PROPOSITION AND THEN WHEN YOU DON'T AGREE, IT JUST GETS THROWN OUTTA THE CONTRACT.
SO I CAN JUST START SNIPING ARTICLES OUTTA THIS CONTRACT.
NO, WE EITHER WE COME TO AN AGREEMENT OR WE DON'T OR WE GO TO ARBITRATION BASICALLY.
WELL, AND SO WELL THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IT COMES OUTTA THE CONTRACT.
HE'S SAYING IT GOES TO ARBITRATION.
I MEAN, ARBITRATION'S ALWAYS, UH, APPEAL.
I, BUT, BUT THE MODEL THAT YOU'RE BRINGING UP RIGHT NOW ALLOWS EITHER SIDE OF THIS TABLE TO PICK UP, PICK AN ARTICLE THAT THEY DON'T LIKE, MAKE A PREPOSTEROUS PROPOSITION THAT THE OTHER SIDE'S NOT GONNA AGREE ON.
AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S KNOCKED OUTTA THE CONTRACT AND HAS TO GO TO ARBITRATION ONLY, ONLY IF WE AGREE ON THE REST OF THE CONTRACT.
ONLY IF WE AGREE ON THE CONTRACT.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE'VE BEEN IN PROCESS.
SO MANAGEMENT RIGHTS, IF WE SAY NO, WE DON'T LIKE IT, IT'S GONE.
IF WE COME TO AN AGREEMENT OF WHAT ELSE IS IN THE CONTRACT, IT MEAN IT ONLY WORKS IF WE COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON THE REST OF IT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO BRING BACK ON THE OVERTIME.
SO I MEAN, OUR, OUR PROPOSAL IS STILL ON THE TABLE FOR CONSIDERATION AND FOR TA, BUT WE'RE NOT PROPOSING ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGE TO THAT.
SO LIKE YOU'RE PROPOSING TO GO AND I, I PROPOSE WE GET CLOSEST TO CIVIL SERVICE, WHICH MEANS THE CHIEF HAS TO GET RID OF THREE ASSISTANT CHIEFS.
'CAUSE CIVIL SERVICES, HE'S ONLY ALLOWED ONE.
SO OUR PROPOSAL ON OVERTIME WAS TO GET CLOSER.
TWO, I WANNA SAY WHAT WE PROPOSED WAS NOT REALLY FLSA, THAT'S THE CONTRACT CAN SUPERSEDE FLSA AND THAT'S WHY WE PUT IT IN.
'CAUSE WE USED TO NOT HAVE IT.
WE USED TO MODEL FLSA COMPLETE AND THROUGH CONTRACT WE WERE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WHERE WE ARE NOW.
WHAT IS, WHAT WAS IN THERE FOR THE OVERTIME? THAT'S OVER AND ABOVE, LET SAY IS, I MEAN, HOLIDAY AND VACATION AS WELL AS WORKERS' COMP.
UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THEY HAD UM, I KNOW UNION TIME.
UM, AND SO IT WAS WHAT WE PROPOSED BACK WAS THAT THE WORKERS' COMP TIME, WHICH THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE THAT GOT, THAT GOT PUT IN THERE.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY AROUND THE WORKERS' COMP.
I WAS LEAVING THAT AS WELL AS THE UNION BANK IN THERE.
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REMOVING THE HOLIDAY TIME, THAT'S CONSTANTLY SUSTAIN.SO PAYING, CALCULATING OVERTIME, INCLUDING REALLY WHAT IS OUR NOT WORKED.
IT'S COSTING THE CITY AT LEAST 600,000.
THAT IS WHY WE, AND THAT'S AGAIN, THAT'S ACROSS THE CITY THAT WE ARE.
THAT'S OUR PROPOSAL WAS WE CONTINUE TO KEEP
WORK THE, TO ME, BY DOING THAT, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT USED TO LOSE TIME BEFORE WE WENT TO THIS, THEY WOULD LOSE TIME, WHICH BUILT THE UNFUNDED LIABILITY.
SO PEOPLE THAT WORK OVERTIME WOULD NOT TAKE VACATION TIME, HOLIDAY TIME AT ALL.
I, I HAVE SOMEBODY ON MY CREW, RIGHT.
EVEN THOUGH THEY WOULD BE PAID, THEY WANT TO USE IT AS TIME OFF.
BUT TO ME, I UNDERSTAND THE MONEY ON THIS END, BUT YOUR UNFUNDED LIABILITY ON THIS END, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA, PEOPLE'S VACATION'S GONNA INCREASE PEOPLE NOT TAKING OFF.
THEY'LL BE WILLING TO LOSE TIME TO MAKE, SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU RIGHT, YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE CITY IS SPENDING 600,000 A YEAR ON GUYS THAT ARE TAKING VACATION TIME IN THE SAME PERIOD AS OVERTIME AND GETTING THAT HALFTIME, THE CITY IS SPENDING $600,000 A YEAR ON HALFTIME THAT'S ACCOMPANIED BY VACATION.
I DUNNO IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO LOOK AT THE CALCULATION.
BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IS ANYTIME THAT SOMEBODY, AND HERE'S OF THE ISSUE IS AS PART OF IT IS ANYTIME THAT SOMEONE TAKES A HOLIDAY OR A VACATION DAY, EVEN IF YOU WORK YOUR REGULAR SHIFT, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO GET OVERTIME.
'CAUSE ALL OF THAT GOES INTO YOUR HOURS OF WORK.
ESPECIALLY THEN ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TAPPED OUT, WHICH IS A LOT.
THE DEPARTMENT IS KEPT OUT ON HOLIDAY TIME.
WHEN THOSE HOURS ARE PAID OUT, IT'S ROLLING INTO YOUR WORK TIME.
SO THERE'S, YOU'RE NOT REALLY TAKING THE DAY OFF TO TO USE IT.
YOU'RE NOT WORKING ANYTHING EXTRA, BUT YOU'RE GETTING PAID EXTRA.
IS THIS, SO THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE VACATION THAT'S ACCOMPANIED IN GIVEN PAY PERIOD BY THE OVERTIME.
IT'S AS MUCH AS IT IS THE OUT HOLIDAY.
DO WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? CAUCUS PROMOTIONS? LET'S, LET'S THE WARM AIR IN
SO WE DO HAVE, UM, THE PROMOTIONS ARTICLE.
UH, SO AGAIN, THIS WAS, UM, WHAT HAS EXPLAIN THAT HAS EXISTED IN PRIOR CONTEXT.
MINE IN THE CONTRACT DOESN'T SAY TYPE HERE AT THE BOTTOM.
THIS IS HERE TWO WHERE WE HAVE THAT FORM.
UM, THE OTHER THING, UM, SO I DO HAVE THE OVERTIME.
UM, I THOUGHT THAT WE HAD GIVEN Y'ALL A, AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS BEFORE.
WE HAD PRESENTED IT AS PART, AS OF THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE ORIGINALLY WITH THE CHANGE, UM, FOR THE FLSA STUFF.
I THOUGHT WE HAD BROUGHT THAT BACK WITH THOSE CHANGES.
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SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS, UM, FULL ARTICLE WAS ON THE TABLE THAT I DID NOT, I HAVE PAPER PLEASE.SO THIS IS, UM, AN ARTICLE WITH THE PROPOSED CHANGES THAT Y'ALL HAD MADE, THE PROCEDURES AND STUFF AS WELL.
WHICH IF Y'ALL NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF THAT STUFF YEAH, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE DEFINITELY HAVE TO MAKE.
UM, BUT WE ARE WILLING TO, SOME OF THE, THE STUFF THEY'RE WILLING TO DO IS ARTICLE 33 TERMINAL LEAVE AND WE ARE WILLING TO SIGN THE PROMOTIONAL MARK AS WELL.
UH, ARE YOU AT I AM OUT UNTIL THE NEXT WEEK SOMETIME.
[c. Consider setting the time and date for the next collective bargaining session.]
IS OKAY WITH ME, UM, BESIDES THE 13TH OR 14TH BECAUSE PEOPLE OKAY.UM, EITHER THE OTHER THREE DAYS.
11, 12 WAS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
I GOT A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, BUT ONE OF US WILL BE HERE.
UM, LET'S SITTING HERE JUST IN CASE.
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TODAY AM ON WEDNESDAY.