The Palo Alto City Council has declined to mediate contract negotiations with the Palo Alto Fire Fighters, pushing the parties into binding arbitration as required by the city’s charter. The firefighters have proposed a contract that would result in $3.1 million in givebacks to the city. This contract would theoretically have closed three-quarters of the $4.3-million gap in the budget passed by the City Council last month.

“The firefighters have shown good faith in this process by presenting a proposal,” said Palo Alto Fire Fighters Union president Tony Spitaleri in a press release. “The City Council, however, doesn’t seem to be showing good faith in their end of the negotiations.”

The firefighters had proposed voluntary mediation to achieve resolution after the City Council’s rejection of this contract.

— Harini Jaganathan