Firefighters and police officers in Pharr will soon be making more money after their unions signed labor agreements on Thursday with the city.

“It's just an extra benefit because at the end of the day, we are still going to do our job and show up and do our best to make sure our citizens and community are safe,” Pharr arson investigator Catherine Cadena said.

A Pharr firefighter’s current base pay is about $46,200, which will remain the same over the first and second year under their labor agreement. By the third year, a 4% increase in salary will take effect, making a firefighter's salary jump to over $49,800.

Another 4% increase for the fourth year will push the salary to over $51,000.

The Pharr Fire Union President Mike Navarro says they asked the city for a 15% pay increase over the four years, but they took a lower increase to pay for three more positions instead.

“We added positions, that alone also cost money,” Navarro said. “Every move that is made plays a part."

The Pharr Police Department agreed to a 15% pay increase over three years. 

“We want to make sure our police officers match up well with the competition,” Pharr City Manager Jonathan Flores said.

When asked why police officers got a bigger pay boost, Flores cited the new positions in the city’s fire department.

“The fire department got three personnel, [police] didn't get any personnel. Similarly, [police] overtime was not adjusted,” Flores said.

The fire and police labor negotiations come two months after Pharr EMS tried to unionize.

Back in May, Channel 5 News reported Pharr EMS attempted to form a union with the Communications Workers of America, and brought up the issue during the public comment portion of a city council meeting. 

Pharr EMS members at the meeting were told to follow protocol, as city rules require those in public comment to only speak about things on the agenda. Unionizing was not on the city agenda.

READ MORE: Pharr EMS pushes for union at city council meeting

Flores said on Thursday the recent agreement with the fire and police departments show city leaders value first responders.

“Today is an affirmation of how much our elected officials and administration value our emergency service personnel because they truly are exceptional,” Flores said. “We are always open to having conversation with any of our city staff; they just need to follow the proper chain and procedures to have those discussions. To date, that has not happened."

In an email statement, Communications Workers of America said they’ve reached out to city officials with a request to meet and discuss forming a union with Pharr EMS, but they are still waiting for a response from the city.

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