Dallas police, firefighter unions debate pay as contract deadline nears
Contract negotiations are underway for Dallas police officers and firefighters as their current contract approaches its Sept. 30 expiration.
Six associations must approve a new agreement with the city, but they remain divided over whether the latest offer goes far enough.
Three of the associations - including the largest, the Dallas Police Association - believe the city is not doing enough to improve pay.
"What we're saying is this is such a bad offer, we're not even going to waste y'all's time on even going to a vote," said Sean Pease, president of the Dallas Police Association.
Other unions argue members should be allowed to review the proposal and decide for themselves.
"I think it is a fair thing to do, and a smart thing to do is to let the members see the proposal and make a decision," said Brandon Terry, president of the Dallas Black Firefighters Association.
Dallas does not rank among the top five highest‑paying police departments in North Texas. Starting pay for Dallas police officers is about $81,000 per year. Base pay for Dallas firefighters begins at roughly $75,000.
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said next year's budget includes room for a pay bump. She noted the city increased starting pay by nearly 8% in the last budget to make Dallas more competitive across the region. Pease disagrees.
"Honestly, we feel that's been anything but fair because we're the only ones who keep moving around and the city just stays right where they're at," Pease said.
With three counteroffers already on the table and the current contract set to expire Sept. 30, union leaders say all six groups must come together to resolve the issue. Terry warned that rising tensions could make negotiations more difficult.
"We don't want this to get disrespectful to where it becomes a back‑and‑forth fight to where we can't even communicate with each other anymore because if we keep going down this road, tempers and anger are going to continue to rise, and the next thing you know, we don't even have a relationship with what our city manager, with our chiefs," Terry said.
