The Fairbanks City Council is set to vote tonight on a contentious contract between the city and the Fairbanks Firefighters Union.
Many council members expressed surprise and disappointment when the contract was first presented to the public at the council’s June 25 meeting. Others declared their desire to move forward cautiously.
The three-year contract is the latest attempt in a yearslong conflict between the governing body and the union, which represents about 40 members. A fiscal note for the contract lists about $408,000 in new expenditures required for 2019 if the deal is approved: $129,000 for wage and health care increases and $279,000 in projected overtime above 2018’s budgeted amount.