'Making History': Loudoun County's First Collective Bargaining Agreement Approved

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The union representing fire and rescue employees and public safety communicators made history as the first to get a collective bargaining agreement approved in Loudoun County history.

On Tuesday, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the collective bargaining agreement with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3756. The only supervisor not present, Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling), was supportive of the agreement, according to Chair Phyllis Randall.

The union, made up of about 650 firefighters, fire marshals, medics and public safety communicators, ratified the agreement in late April before the Board of Supervisors vote. The agreement will take effect from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

The agreement provides a 9.4 percent increase to the pay scale and 3 percent step increase for uniformed employees as well as 7 percent merit increases for civilian employees, labor relations manager Rebekah Bofinger told the board in a presentation. This was funded in the recently adopted county budget. In fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the agreement provides a 2.5 percent increase to the pay scale and 3 percent step increase for uniformed employees and 5.5 percent pay increase for civilian employees.

The agreement seeks to address recruitment and retention challenges the county has faced. Randall said the fire department is young because it has lost many senior firefighters to other localities. She also said only 26 percent of career firefighters can afford to live in Loudoun County.

"That is a travesty and a shame. We cannot talk about continually talk about supporting our first responders if we don't find out all the different ways to support our first responders," said Randall. "Yes, we can say thank you to them, but we also have to pay them. We have to give them the ability to go home when they need to go home to take care of their families. We have to give them the mental health support that they may need because it's a hard job to do so in every possible way."

Supervisor Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian) said "we're making history right now in Loudoun County" with the county's first collective bargaining agreement. She noted the agreement was a compromise and that the county and union would be negotiating on a new agreement in three years.

"I'm proud that our firefighters are now going to have a seat at the table hopefully for the rest of time to negotiate their pay benefits and working conditions," said Briskman. "And you guys are setting an example for our county employees coming through next.

"It seems like it's been a long time coming," added Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg). "But hopefully this will help you achieve a good rate of compensation and benefits and help us keep all your well-trained firefighters in this county."

Two Republican members voiced concerns about using collective bargaining in general but voted in support of the final agreement.

Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) said he had a different point of view on the topic of collective bargaining and said the county "could have gotten here in an alternative way."

"I agree with the sentiment of my colleagues about the importance of supporting, paying, and also providing all kinds of different support for our first responders, which this agreement does.

Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin District) said he was a lead attorney on a police department collective agreement in Virginia a few years ago and understand the work going into the process. Kershner said he supported the final agreement with IAFF Local 3756.

"I think every one of us up here speaks that we want to make sure that we take care of all of our first responders, both our police officers, as well as our firefighters and any and all of those, and certainly that means to pay," said Kerschner. "I know we have done a number of [classification and compensation] studies and really continue to seek to remain competitive. Both sides I think believe this is definitely competitive with our surrounding jurisdiction."

The fiscal impact to the county budget due to the agreement will be $11.136 million in fiscal year 2025, $15.759 million in fiscal year 2026 and $20.309 million in fiscal year 2027. Much of the cost is associated with pay and specialty pay — $10.952 million in fiscal year 2025, $15.358 million in fiscal year 2026 and $19.886 million in fiscal year 2027. A full-time union representative will cost the county $179,000 in fiscal year 2025, $171,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $180,000 in fiscal year 2027.

A Virginia state law taking effect in May 2021 removed a ban on collective bargaining between localities and their employees. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors had allowed collective bargaining through an ordinance approved in December 2021. IAFF Local 3756 became the exclusive collective bargaining representative in September 2022 and met with county representatives for 30 bargaining sessions and two days of mediation from February 2023 to February 2024.

There are three collective bargaining units permitted in the county: one for employees of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System, one for labor and trade employees, and a third for general county employees. Employees of elected officers — in the Offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Commissioner of the Revenue, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff and Treasurer — as well as employees of the Library Board of Trustees cannot be part of collective bargaining under the ordinance.

The general government employees unit recently voted forSEIU Virginia 512 to be the exclusive collective bargaining representative for eligible employees. However, the same union was not chosen to be the collective bargaining representative for the labor and trades unit.