Published: June 29, 2009 10:19 am      

Special meeting tonight

It’s all about understanding.

The McAlester City Council is holding a special meeting set for 6 tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Only one item is on the agenda.

It calls for the city council to go into a closed-door executive session to discuss negotiations concerning city employees and representatives of the firefighters’ union — the International Association of Firefighters Local No. 2284.

After tonight’s closed-door session, the agenda calls for the city council to reconvene in open session to approve and take possible action on a memorandum of understanding between the city and the union.

If approved, the measure would authorize the mayor to execute an agreement with the firefighters’ union for a 4 percent across-the-board increase and change to the uniform allowance retroactive to July 1, 2008.

If the city’s and the union’s negotiators fail to reach agreement on a contract, then both sides could face a costly arbitration procedure.

The memorandum is to resolve outstanding issues related to a collective bargaining agreement for the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year, according to the agenda.