Union says Cheyenne firefighter pay is 'structural' behind peers; mayor disputes comparator choices

A special meeting of the Cheyenne City Council on labor negotiations focused on competing assessments of firefighter pay and which jurisdictions should count as peers.

Representative, International Association of Firefighters Local 279, addressed the council and said “Cheyenne firefighters are significantly behind the market,” presenting a wage-comparison analysis that cited percentage shortfalls (for example, roughly 20.6% behind at year 1 and up to about 34% behind at several benchmarks) and a multi-decade average the union described as substantially deficient. The representative also cited the city’s FY24 financial figures, saying the general fund showed a balance of $55,800,000 and an unreserved balance of $54,400,000—figures the union used to argue that Cheyenne has fiscal capacity to pursue a market alignment.

Mayor Collins pushed back on the union’s peer selections and specific math, saying the departments the union used for comparison (including several Front Range and regional departments as well as Wyoming municipalities) might not be funded or structured the same way as Cheyenne. “I just can’t do the math and get there,” Collins said, laying out his own averages for Wyoming peers (citing, for example, a $63,581 average for probationary firefighters and a $71,595 average for the next rank) and saying Cheyenne is a few thousand dollars below those state averages for many ranks, not 30% behind.

The two sides traded detailed figures about starting pay versus top-out (maximum) pay, promotional-rank titles, and specialty pays. The union emphasized long-term, “career‑long” gaps and top‑out shortfalls that it said undermine retention and morale; the mayor countered that Cheyenne’s recruitment and retention record—including recent hires and low turnover in his tenure—suggests the problem is less pronounced than the union claims.

Both parties acknowledged uncertainty in some numbers and agreed to exchange more granular comparator and funding data. The council voted on a motion to convene an executive session to continue negotiations behind closed doors; the motion carried and the meeting moved into executive session to continue bargaining talks.

Next steps: the union will provide additional comparator and funding details requested by the council; council members said they are open to reviewing concrete proposals once both sides agree on the appropriate peer group and metrics.