PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Eligible city workers in Portsmouth now have a formal process to negotiate with the city over terms and conditions of their employment.
City Council unanimously approved a collective bargaining ordinance Tuesday, giving eligible employees a framework to choose a union to represent them in negotiations with the city.
Tiffany Stuart, president of IAFF Local 539, which represents Portsmouth firefighters and paramedics, was among more than 50 union members who attended Tuesday's meeting wearing red in support of collective bargaining.
"This is really an opportunity for all of the people that work in the city that work really hard to have a say in their terms and conditions of employment," Stuart said.
Kurt Detrick, a captain with the Portsmouth Fire Department and president of the Virginia Professional Firefighters state organization, said potential topics could include wages, benefits, safety, staffing and equipment.
"This is all about working together," Detrick said. "It's collaborative and it's good for the workers. It's good for the community. It's good for government."
Virginia law was changed in 2020 to allow cities and counties to authorize collective bargaining through local ordinances or resolutions.
Stuart said her union has been pushing for Portsmouth to adopt collective bargaining since the law changed.
"It gives frontline personnel an opportunity and a seat at the table to have those conversations with stakeholders and with city executive leadership to make sure that frontline personnel needs are really being communicated to those levels," Stuart said.
For Stuart, the issue is particularly important because of the work Portsmouth firefighters and paramedics perform across the city.
"As an EMS lieutenant we respond to medical emergencies across the city day and night. Our fire suppression peers also respond to structure fires, whether that's a residential establishment or maybe a commercial business," Stuart said.
She said Portsmouth's heavy industry, shipyard, international ports and Interstate 264 can create particularly demanding emergency responses.
"We have a stretch of 264, which can sometimes be a challenge responding to interstate accidents," Stuart said. "It's a risky business and a collective bargaining contract really gives the frontline workers that answer those calls the opportunity to advocate for the best equipment so that we can give the best service delivery to our citizens."
The ordinance establishes the framework, but the collective bargaining process itself still needs to be put in place.
The city must establish procedures for determining representation, how employees choose a bargaining representative and how negotiations will be conducted.
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