After months of bitter negotiations, the city of Sacramento and its fire union have agreed to salary concessions that they say will save the jobs of dozens of firefighters.

Now, it's up to the firefighters to accept the plan – or reject it.

As many as 68 jobs in the Sacramento Fire Department will be eliminated unless the union ratifies a deal approved Wednesday by the City Council in a special closed session.

Under the tentative agreement, firefighter salaries would be frozen for 30 months, saving the city $10.8 million. In exchange for freezing wages, the city would not lay off firefighters for at least one year.

Without salary concessions, dozens of firefighters are scheduled to lose their jobs on Friday. An estimated 50 firefighters would be laid off, and 18 senior fire personnel would be demoted, pushing lower-ranking firefighters out of their jobs.

Members of the fire union will begin voting on the tentative agreement this morning. Voting continues Friday.

"We're 'cautiously optimistic' is the best way to say it," union spokesman Chris Harvey said. "Coming right down to the wire like we did has rattled everybody's nerves."

Under the deal, a 5 percent raise due firefighters on July 14 would be delayed until January 2012.

If the agreement is ratified, it would mark the end of contentious negotiations between the city and the fire union.

The current deal, floated by the union earlier this week, was the fourth debated by the council. One proposal was shot down by union members and two others were rejected by the council before they were voted on by firefighters.

In a union proposal last week, the council rejected a plan to freeze firefighter salaries for one year in exchange for layoff protection during that time. Several council members said they voted against the offer because it included a 5 percent raise to take effect next June, when economic conditions in the city are expected to be as poor as they are now.

"That was not a good situation for the city; we needed to go forward with a balanced budget," Mayor Kevin Johnson said. "At that particular point, the only thing left was trying to pull a rabbit out of our hats."

It took less than 30 minutes for Johnson and six of his colleagues on the council to accept the latest proposal. The council is on summer break. and council members Steve Cohn and Bonnie Pannell were not in attendance.

"I've been involved in labor negotiations for 15 years, and quite frankly, I didn't think we'd be able to put this together," said Councilman Robbie Waters. "But everybody came together, and it's going to make for a much safer city."

If the city avoids laying off firefighters, it probably would not be forced to increase the number of fire engines taken out of service, said Assistant City Manager Gus Vina. And it would increase the chances the city could fully staff a firehouse that is planned for construction in North Natomas.

While an agreement with the fire union would save the jobs of dozens of firefighters, roughly 180 other city employees are scheduled to work their last day today because Local 39 and city negotiators could not agree on salary concessions.

City negotiators had asked those workers – most of them covered by Local 39, which represents about 2,500 workers not involved in public safety – to defer a 4 percent raise and agree to furloughs. Union leaders said they would agree to a year's worth of furloughs and a suspension on raises associated with tenure, but not a delay in the 4 percent pay hike.

Most of the employees losing their jobs work in the parks or utilities departments. The city this week announced the elimination of recreational swims, reduced municipal pool operations, shuttered summer day camps and the closing of restrooms in most city parks.

Call The Bee's Ryan Lillis, (916) 321-1085.