AFA to bring city’s ‘best offer’ to rank & file

In an email sent to union members, Austin Firefighters Association head Bob Nicks said this week that he is disappointed in the latest contract offer from city management, saying the terms of the offer would mean an “erosion of our professional standards.” Nicks is referring to a potential new contract for the city’s firefighters. The city and the firefighters union have been negotiating a new agreement since June, when Austin and the U.S. Department of Justice settled a lawsuit over the city fire department’s minority hiring practices. Nicks said, “Based on the recent membership survey results and the AFA’s commitment to abide by the will of the membership, we have agreed to forward the management team’s ‘final and best offer’ to the membership for review and vote.” Nicks said the vote will happen online between Sept. 23 and 25.