Boise is negotiating a labor contract with the Boise Firefighters Union

The city of Boise and the union that represents the city’s firefighters have negotiated a new labor contract, establishing significant fixed wage increases for firefighters over the next few years.

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The new contract, which was approved by the City Council on Tuesday, sets 9% wage increases retroactive to October. The contract also includes another 7% wage increase in October of this year, followed by 3.5% increases in October 2024 and October 2025, according to a memorandum from Kimberly Smith, a lawyer for the city.

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Juneteenth was also added as a holiday, according to the memo.

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Boise has been negotiating with Local 149 of the International Association of Fire Fighters since June 2022. The last contract expired in September.

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The wages negotiated this year will give firefighters larger pay rate increases than they received during their last round of negotiations, which culminated in a four-year contract that began in 2018 and ended in September 2022 — with status quo terms in effect since then. Under that contract, firefighters received 3.5% wage increases in 2018 and two subsequent years, followed by a 3.75% raise in 2021, according to a copy of the contract.

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Under the new contract, base pay for base-level firefighters will increase to around $71,300 per year, and as high as $113,580 per year for battalion chiefs. The agreement will run until the fall of 2026.

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In February, Boise completed negotiations with its police officer union, settling on 13% raises for officers come October.