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Goodyear is preparing to adopt new two-year labor agreements with its police and fire unions following a months-long negotiation process.
The City Council is expected to vote Monday, April 7 on two separate resolutions approving new memorandums of understanding with the Goodyear Police Officers Association and United Goodyear Firefighters Local 4005. Both current agreements are set to expire June 30.
If approved, the new contracts would take effect July 1, 2025, and remain in place through June 30, 2027.
The city’s “meet and confer” process allows sworn police, fire and eligible non-sworn fire employees to negotiate with the city on wages, hours, benefits and working conditions. Negotiations with the police association began in January and concluded after seven sessions. Talks with the firefighters association, which represents 151 fire safety positions, took place over 10 sessions.
The proposed agreements include several compensation and benefit changes.
For police officers, the contract includes a 10% market adjustment on pay in fiscal year 2026 and a 4% adjustment in fiscal year 2027. It also provides step increases for employees not at the top of their pay range, increased shift and standby pay, recognition of out-of-state service for vacation accruals, and new premium pay for working on July 4.
The cost of implementing the police agreement is estimated at $3.9 million in the first year and an additional $2.5 million in the second year, according to city staff.
The firefighters’ agreement includes a 3% market adjustmentfor pay in fiscal year 2026 and 3.5% in fiscal year 2027. It also provides step increases, increased specialty and standby pay, an additional “local day” of time off, new premium holidays including Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a restructured longevity program now referred to as productivity enhancement pay. A 2% increase in the city’s deferred compensation contribution is also included in the first year, with a 1% increase in the second year.
The cost of the fire agreement is estimated at $2.5 million in the first year and $1.4 million in the second year.
City staff described both labor agreements as investments in high-performing and valued public safety employees.
Contracts like these help cities remain competitive in recruiting and retaining public safety workers. In a competitive labor market, offering strong compensation packages can reduce turnover and attract qualified applicants, city staff noted.
Multi-year agreements also help the city plan for long-term budget needs and reinforce a cooperative relationship between employee associations and management.
City Council is scheduled to vote on the police agreement during its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on April 7 in the council chambers, 1900 N Civic Square in Goodyear.
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