City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 29, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.L
1 of 4
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dana Brown, Human Resources Director, Human Resources Department Subject: Adoption of a Resolution Accepting the Tentative Agreement and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109 IAFF (1109)
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15324 (Class 24 Regulations of Working Conditions) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Adopt the proposed Resolution (Attachment A) accepting the Tentative Agreement (TA) and authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109 IAFF (1109);
3. Adopt the salary schedule (Attachment B); and
4. Authorize budget amendment as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report.(requires 5 votes)
Summary
In February 2025, the City Council instructed the City’s labor negotiators to engage in labor negotiations with its recognized employee bargaining units in accordance with the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), as each unit’s current Memorandum of understanding (MOU) is set to expire on June 30, 2025. Negotiations were conducted in good faith over the past several months between designated City representatives and representatives of each of the bargaining units. Negotiations between the City and 1109 have resulted in a tentative agreement (TA) regarding a successor MOU. 1109 has finalized the ratification voting process approving the terms of their TA. City staff recommend that the Council approve the ratified TA to enter into a successor MOU 2 of 4
between the City and 1109.
Discussion
Under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA) in California, local public agencies negotiate with exclusively recognized employee organizations on wages, hours, and working conditions. The City currently has approved TAs with seven bargaining units, and is still in negotiations with four other employee organizations (often referred to as bargaining groups or unions) whose contracts with the City expire on June 30, 2025.
These TAs reflect a collaborative effort to balance fair compensation for employees with the City’s fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability.
The main substantive terms in this TA reached with 1109 are outlined below:
The Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109 IAFF (1109)
1109 represents 118 exempt and non-exempt public safety staff within the Fire Department, excluding the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chiefs. • Term of Agreement: July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029 • Cost of Living Adjustments: 2% effective July 1, 2025; 5% effective July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027; and 4% effective July 1, 2028
• Amend all paramedic bonuses to be based upon 16% of top step Firefighter • Increase EMT bonus to 10.25% of top step Firefighter
• Increase Bilingual Skill Pay to $100 per month
• City shall pay 100% of medical premiums
• City shall pay 1% of employee contribution at top step Firefighter into the PostEmployment Health Plan (PEHP). • City shall pay 1% of employee contribution at top step Firefighter to the Medical Trust
• Increase City contribution into Deferred Compensation on behalf of each employee to $50.04 bi-weekly
• Amend the two floating holidays received on July 1st of each year to equal 12 hours per holiday for Fire Suppression positions and 10 hours per holiday for administrative positions effective July 1, 2025.
3 of 4
• Increase the maximum hours in each fiscal year allowed to be used for union business to 944 hours (equates to 8 hours per represented employee) • Addition of Tactical EMS Bonus equal to 2% of the base salary of top step Firefighter to eligible employees, maximum of 6 assigned, at the Fire Chief’s discretion.
Environmental Review
The changes to staff wages are categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15324 (Class 24 Regulations of Working Conditions) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Class 24 consists of actions taken by regulatory agencies to regulate employee wages, hours of work, or working conditions where there will be no demonstrable physical changes outside the place of work.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The total cost of the negotiated changes contained in the tentative agreement presented in this report is approximately $2.0 million for FY 2025-26 in the General Fund. The full impact of these changes will be incorporated in the FY 2025-26 through FY 2029-30 Five-Year Financial Forecast for the General Fund. If the changes are approved, staff will appropriate the FY 2025-26 changes in Non-Departmental for the General Fund and all other funds as listed in the table below. The funds will be transferred to the relevant funds and department accounts along with the FY 2025-26 Midyear Budget.
Fund # Fund Name
FY 2025-26
Total
01 General Fund $1,976,185
Total all funds $1,976,185
4 of 4
Prepared By: Doris Mejia, Senior Human Resources Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Resolution_1109
B. 1109 Salary Schedule 7.29.25