City to broadcast contract negotiations

In a move toward more transparency, the city of Austin will begin broadcasting its negotiations for new public safety labor agreements. Streaming on YouTube begins today at 9 a.m. as the city’s Labor Relations Office commences talks with the Austin EMS Association. Negotiations with fire and police unions will begin after the new year, and the dates of those negotiations can be found on the Labor Relations Office website. “While this will be a challenging time to negotiate from both a fiscal and Covid-19 standpoint, we remain committed to transparency and fairness,” Deven Desai, the city’s chief labor relations officer, said in a statement to the press. The three labor agreements that are currently in place are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2022, though there is a provision that will allow for a six-month extension on the APD contract if the parties cannot come to an agreement by that date.