FRESNO - The City of Fresno has been notified that the City of Fresno Professional Employees Association (CFPEA) membership has voted to strike following the rejection of the City’s Last, Best, and Final Offer (LBFO) presented during ongoing labor negotiations.

Negotiations for a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and CFPEA began on November 7, 2023, prior to the expiration of the previous agreement on December 31, 2023. Throughout 14 negotiation sessions, the City of Fresno proposed multiple offers designed to provide fair and competitive compensation to CFPEA members while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

The City’s LBFO, presented on October 2, 2024, included the following key components:

• A 2% ongoing salary increase retroactive to June 17, 2024.
• A 1% one-time payment based on annual base salary.
• Implementation of remaining increases from the 2018 classification and compensation study retroactive to June 17, 2024.
• Increases in safety shoe vouchers, premium pay, certification pay, and uniform allowances.
• A $125 annual reimbursement for prescription safety glasses.
• An option for employees to credit unused holiday leave into a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) at retirement.

This offer is consistent with other package offers extended to the City’s non-public safety bargaining units that were negotiated and accepted.

Despite these efforts, CFPEA declared an impasse on October 14, 2024, without presenting the LBFO to its membership for a vote. On November 1, 2024, an impasse meeting was held under Fresno Municipal Code Section 3-617, but no agreement was reached. CFPEA declined mediation and failed to request a fact-finding panel within the statutory timeframe, effectively waiving its right to that process.

“The City has made significant efforts to address CFPEA’s concerns with proposals that are fair, competitive, and fiscally responsible,” said Fresno City Manager Georgeanne White. “While we are disappointed by today’s outcome, our priority remains serving Fresno's residents and ensuring operations continuity.”

The City remains committed to delivering essential services to Fresno residents and is prepared to implement contingency plans if a strike occurs. The City values its employees and remains open to constructive dialogue aimed at resolving.

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