Alexandria City Council approves funding for three union contracts
Agreements totaling nearly $32 million cover police, fire and administrative workers through 2029
City Council voted Tuesday night to commit funding for collective bargaining agreements with three employee unions, approving nearly $32 million in wage increases and benefits for public safety and administrative workers through fiscal year 2029.
The vote came at council’s first meeting at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, its temporary home while City Hall undergoes renovations.
The three-year contracts cover uniformed fire and EMS employees represented by IAFF Local 2141, sworn police officers represented by the Southern States Police Benevolent Association and administrative and technical employees represented by AFSCME. All three agreements take effect July 1, 2026.
“Through good-faith negotiations, our unions and city staff have worked together to reach competitive agreements that represent significant new investment in the city’s public safety and general government workforce,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said.
The police contract, estimated at $11.4 million over three years, covers 310 sworn personnel. Officers will see the largest immediate bump, with 17 percent pay increases for officers, 21 percent for sergeants and 15 percent for lieutenants in the first year, followed by 2 percent increases in each of the following two years. The deal raises the starting salary for new officers from $63,988 to $75,000 and provides an early retirement option at 20 years of service.
“The pay adjustments are an important step forward for the agency, which will make APD competitive for quality officers in the Northern Virginia and D.C. metro area,” said Damon Minnix, SSPBA chapter president.
The agreement follows a December impasse hearing in which council sided with the union on wages, approving 2 percent annual cost-of-living adjustments rather than the 0.5 percent increases proposed by city management.
The firefighters’ contract, estimated at $8 million, covers approximately 300 positions. Firefighters and EMS personnel will receive 1 percent wage increases in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, along with merit-based step increases. The agreement also reduces the workweek for fire suppression staff from 49 hours to 46 hours by fiscal year 2029 and funds 14 new positions to support the schedule change.
“By continuing to reduce hours and move closer to a more equitable work week, we’re strengthening the well-being of the people who show up for our neighbors every single day,” said Josh Turner, president of IAFF Local 2141.
The AFSCME agreement, estimated at $12.5 million, marks the first collective bargaining contract for the city’s administrative and technical employees, who voted to unionize in late 2024. The deal provides 3 percent wage growth in the first year, 2.75 percent in the second and 1.5 percent in the third.
“This first contract marks the start of another relationship between our great union and the Alexandria city government,” said Wayne L. Enoch, AFSCME executive director. “It will improve the services that residents receive because it gives a voice to the workers that render them.”