KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On June 8, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 42 announced in a press release that it was seeking legal action against the City of Kansas City, Mo., for its failure to meet previous arbitration award requirements.
A decision, which resulted from incidents in 2022 and 2023 involving Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) training positions, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) captain positions and training enforcement for IAFF Local 42 firefighters, of roles, which the local stated the City failed to reclassify.
“Arbitration awards and court judgments must be honored,” Heizman said in a press release on June 8. “Our members have been patient, professional and persistent; now the City needs to comply.”
This motion was filed in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri on June 5 — requesting a judge to hold the City of Kansas City in contempt as Local 42 held that the City failed to meet its earlier arbitration award request.
“This case is about whether a negotiated contract, a binding arbitration award and a court judgment mean what they say,” Heizman said in a press release on June 8. “Local 42 followed the process, won at arbitration, won in court and is now asking the court to enforce what our members have already won.”
The local detailed that the City had begun to assign training and instructor duties to employees outside of IAFF Local 42’s bargaining unit, which Heizman stated is a violation of the City of Kansas City and Local 42’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“Local 42 followed the dispute resolution process required by its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the City; the Union filed a grievance, revealed before an arbitrator and then obtained a judgment from the Jackson County Circuit Court confirming the arbitration award,” IAFF Local 42 said in a press release on June 8. “The City attempted to appeal but the Court of Appeals closed the case on June 4, 2026 after the City failed to timely file its notice of appeal; the City still has not implemented the arbitrator’s award over two and a half years after it was issued.”
Included within its requests, Local 42 has asked the City to sign a side letter agreement, which would assign EMS captain positions to Local 42 members, recognize that training and instructor work belong to the Local 42 bargaining unit and provide all affected members the pay, rank, status, seniority, benefits and additional relief outlined within the Arbitration Award and its implementation process, IAFF Local 42 stated in a press release.
“Local 42 remains willing to work with the City to implement the award professionally and orderly,” IAFF Local 42 said in a press release, June 8.
Kansas City City Council passed Ordinance 260372 on May 7, 2026 — sponsored by the Director of the Human Resources Department, Teri Casey — to adjust salaries and adopt updated pay scales to fit in compliance with the City’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with IAFF Local 42, according to the City of Kansas City’s website.
“I’m not a big fan of litigation; I think we’re going to handle this to the satisfaction of both parties,” Kansas City City Manager Mario Vasquez shared with The Labor Beacon.
Negotiations between IAFF Local 42 and the City of Kansas City remain active at this time.
Julia Williams — a Kansas City native — is a reporter and digital producer for The Labor Beacon. A University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna, she previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Northeast News before joining The Labor Beacon staff.
Williams’s grandfather was a Claycomo Ford Motor Company retiree and avid UAW Local 249 supporter, allowing her to understand the union difference from a young age.
In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to see her friends and hanging out at home with her cat, Greta. She loves a good cup of coffee, seeing local, live music and shopping secondhand. With a passion for storytelling, she hopes to bring her knowledge of journalistic integrity to the Kansas City union community — giving union and labor workers a voice, while holding people in powerful positions accountable.
