The City of Lexington and its firefighters union have signed a new three year collective bargaining agreement.
The deal includes modest raises for firefighters and more money for tuition reimbursements for continuing education.
Urban County Council members were briefed on the new pact Thursday night.
Capt. Chris Bartley, the president of Lexington Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 526, told the council that the firefighters union voted 415-38 Wednesday to approve the contract.
"Lexington should be the shining example when labor and management can get together and to figure things out. From the last contract where we took millions of dollars in hits and savings to help the city when it was down to the pension crisis and currently we just got our unfunded liability while that is going down while the state's pension liability is going up," Bartley told Council members.
Vice Mayor Linda Gorton described the new CBA as something all sides could live with.
"Everybody has to give and take on these bargaining agreements. One side doesn't necessarily always get everything they want," Gorton told WUKY.
The three-year contract will cost the city an additional $4.7 million over three years. That increase is largely to restore raises that were given up by firefighters during lean budget times.
Council is expected to sign off on the deal sometime next month.