Title
Adoption of Resolution Approving Letter of Understanding Between the International Association of Firefighters, Local 689, and the City of Alameda. (Human Resources 10025060)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Gerry Beaudin, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 1024 (SB 1024) will be effective January 1, 2027, if signed by the Governor. The bill would require all fire departments to provide eligible firefighters up to twenty-six (26) weeks of fully paid postpartum and recovery leave. The effective date of this potentially new law leaves a gap for City of Alameda (City) staff who may have a qualifying event before January 2027.
The City and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 689 (IAFF) met to discuss solutions to address this gap, resulting in the proposed letter of understanding (LOU) included as Exhibit 1. The LOU closes that gap by implementing provisions of the bill's terms, contingent upon SB 1024 becoming law, effective the date of the Governor’s signature or October 1, 2026, sunsetting on January 1, 2027. The letter of agreement would be void if the Governor vetoes SB 1024.
IAFF members have ratified this agreement.
BACKGROUND
SB 1024 would require all fire departments to provide active firefighting members with up to twenty-six (26) weeks of fully paid postpartum and recovery leave due to disability from pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. Eligibility requires at least 1,250 hours of service with the fire department in the 12 months preceding the qualifying event. The leave is granted upon the qualifying event, requires continuation of the member’s regular pay and benefits throughout the leave and restoration to the member’s prior position upon return.
The bill addresses a gap in current law: most public safety employees, including firefighters, do not participate in State Disability Insurance and are therefore ineligible for wage-replacement benefits. Absent a department-specific policy or negotiated benefit, firefighters affected by this gap have historically been required to exhaust accrued sick leave and/or vacation to cover time away from work following childbirth. SB 1024 additionally aims to improve “public safety by reducing injury, preventing premature return to hazardous duty, and strengthening retention in an essential profession.”
SB 1024 passed the Legislature on a unanimous Assembly floor vote (79-0) on August 26, 2026, and is now before the Governor. Under the California Constitution, the Governor has until September 30, 2026, to sign or veto bills passed in the final days of the legislative session. If signed or not vetoed, SB 1024 would take effect on its standard statutory operative date of January 1, 2027, as it does not contain an urgency clause.
To make the provisions of this bill available to current City firefighters sooner, the City and the IAFF meet to discuss solutions. These discussions resulted in an LOU to enact the bill's terms upon the Governor’s signature or October 1, 2026, whichever occurs first.
DISCUSSION
If enacted into law, SB 1024 would not take effect until January 1, 2027. Fire department members experiencing a qualifying event prior to that date would receive no benefit under the new law and would remain subject to the City’s existing leave provisions, which would require the use of accrued time for the member to remain in paid status. City staff met with IAFF to discuss bridging this gap and negotiated an LOU that would extend a substantially equivalent benefit on an interim basis, in advance of the statutory operative date of SB 1024’s effective date.
The proposed LOU contains the following key terms:
• Contingency: The LOU takes effect only if the Governor signs SB 1024 into law or it is not vetoed by September 30, 2026. If the bill is vetoed and fails to become law, the LOU is void, and the City incurs no obligation under it.
• Effective Date: Assuming the contingency is satisfied, the effective date will be either 1) the date of the Governor’s signature, or 2) October 1st, 2026, whichever comes first.
• Benefit Terms: Implements the terms of SB 1024 as written - up to 26 weeks of fully paid postpartum and recovery leave for eligible members, with continuation of pay and benefits and restoration to the member’s prior position upon return.
• Sunset: The LOU automatically terminates on January 1, 2027, the date SB 1024 becomes operative by its own terms, so there is no gap or overlap between the interim benefit and the statutory benefit.
• No Precedent: The LOU is expressly framed as a one-time bridge and states that it may not be cited as precedent in future negotiations or grievances.
Staff recommends City Council adopt a resolution approving the proposed Letter. This approach addresses a short-term equity gap for affected employees without requiring the City to permanently expand leave benefits beyond what state law will soon require, and because the automatic sunset avoids any ongoing administrative or bargaining complexity once the statute takes effect.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may consider the following alternatives, as well as other alternatives not identified below:
• Do not adopt the resolution adopting the LOU.
• Direct staff to revise the LOU before adoption. While revision of the LOU is possible, any changes will require a meet-and-confer process as the City has reached a good-faith agreement with IAFF on the proposed LOU. Staff could then return to Council if a good-faith agreement is reached with the revised LOU.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact under the LOU may vary and will be usage-driven. Cost primarily includes overtime and/or backfill costs to cover a member’s position during leave, plus an increase to accrued leave liability. Given the LOU’s short duration, staff does not anticipate the need for a budget amendment.
Should SB 1024 take effect on January 1, 2027, the same cost drivers - overtime/backfill and leave liability - would become ongoing obligations for the City. If the bill passes, the City would incorporate these costs into future budget cycles and, if needed, return with a Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget amendment.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Alameda Municipal Code, Section 25-5.1.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, and therefore, no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution approving Letter of Understanding between the International Association of Firefighters, Local 689, and the City of Alameda.
Respectfully submitted,
Noelle White, Human Resources Director
By,
Noelle White, Human Resources Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Letter of Understanding Between IAFF and the City