ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County commissioners could put an end to a long-running stalemate in contract negotiations between the county and union firefighters for Orange County Fire Rescue.
The commission will hold an impasse hearing on Tuesday afternoon, before voting on the final terms of a contract that would run through October 2027.
“This has been a long process,” Chris Ritchie, president of the Orange County Firefighters Association, told News 6 Tuesday morning. “It’s been grueling--I’m sure for both sides.”
Ritchie represents about 1,300 firefighters who have been working without a contract since its expiration in October 2024. Union leaders began negotiations in September 2023, Ritchie said.
A vote on Tuesday would address two sticking points in negotiations: healthcare insurance and step increases in pay after the next contract expires.
Ritchie told News 6 that he agrees with Mayor Jerry Demings’ characterization of the county’s proposed pay increase as “historic,” but suggested the issue over pay is more nuanced.
“The wage increase is absolutely historic,” Ritchie said. “But let’s not call it a raise. Let’s call it a wage correction.”
He claimed that the step increases are essential in ensuring Orange County firefighters do not remain 35 to 40 percent behind other departments in the state in terms of pay.