County Coordinator Wilbur Dean and County Labor Attorney Wayne Helsby chat during union negotiations Tuesday. Seated at the table on the left is County Human Resources Director Jacqueline Martin and at the end Alesha Rinaudo of the Department of Public Safety. On right are EMT Jimmy Jones and IAFF President Katy Graves.
By Terry Witt -Spotlight Senior Reporter
A negotiating team led by County Coordinator Wilbur Dean on Tuesday offered Emergency Medical Services and firefighting union members a $4,684 increase in their base pay over the next three years.
The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF 4069) will take the offer to its members for a vote, though President Katy Graves believes the union will reject the contract.
The sticking point from the union’s standpoint is that the county has reduced health insurance benefits by offering to pay 85 percent of each employee’s individual premium and requiring employees to pick up 15 percent.
In the past, County Commissioners paid for employee family coverage and the entire cost of individual health insurance for each employee. Two years ago the board stopped paying for family coverage. This year the board wants to reduce their contribution from 100 percent of an employee’s individual health insurance to 85 percent
Graves said the problem for union members is health insurance costs go up 4 to 6 percent annually which means increasing insurance costs will eat away at the pay raise.
“The big thing is losing the raise to insurance as the years continue on and it continues to go up,” she said. “This year it’s going up about 4 ½ percent. Signing a three-year deal without knowing about increases in insurance is absurd.”
Commission Chairman Matt Brooks said he believes the board made a generous offer to the union and the increased compensation will be attractive to paramedics and EMTs looking for work.
Brooks said the pay raise amounts to a $1.54 per hour increase in the wages of EMTs, paramedics and firefighters and he believes the insurance gives employees an incentive to shop for a county health insurance plan that best suits their needs.
“It’s the single largest pay increase they will have seen as employees in the history of the county,” Brooks said.
The county declared an impasse in negotiations with IAFF but decided to break the ice by offering the same pay raise given to Laborers International Union of North America Local 630. The raise was approved unanimously by the union.
The county produced a report showing EMS employees are well paid. EMS workers were 70 percent of the top 10 wage earners among county workers in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The county says overtime earnings were a factor.
Graves produced statistics showing EMS is understaffed and that ambulance employees are often called upon to work extra shifts and frequently 48-hour shifts to compensate for staffing shortages.
“Since Jan. 1, we’ve had 4,081.5 hours of mandatory work time,” she told county negotiators, noting the heavy workload is driving away employees. “Our department is bleeding people.”
Mandatory work time results when management needs to fill empty shifts with EMTs and paramedics. It means time off is often canceled and EMTs and paramedics endure longer separations from families.
“Our people are working 48 hours at a time and it’s dangerous,” she said.
As of July 13, Graves said there were 8 full-time positions that were open in the department. The number increased by one that morning with another resignation. Eight of the vacant positions were paramedics.
Under the current contract, a single certified EMT earns $9.15 per hour, just above the $8.46 minimum wage in Florida. Their base pay would rise to $10.11 with the county proposal.
A single certified paramedic earns $11.15 an hour. The hourly rate would rise to $12.11 with the county proposal.
A dual-certified firefighter/EMTs hourly pay would rise from $11.15 to $12.20 with the county proposal.
A dual-certified firefighter/paramedic’s hourly pay would increase from $13.15 to $14.20.
A dual-certified battalion chief’s hourly pay would rise from $15.15 to $16.20.
Brooks noted that the current IAFF contract allows EMTs, paramedics and firefighters to use overtime for vacation and sick leave, which is rare in any workplace.
But Brooks said there is only so much the county can spend on wages. He said the IAFF needs to understand that fact. He said the county commission is offering a big pay raise.
“At the end of the day, it’s an increase and a mighty good increase and they’re going to have to realize we got to look at the budget and as a commission and executive staff we can’t continue to grow the budget past our tax base,” Brooks said. “There’s only so much to go around. We’ve got great employees but sometimes I wonder if they understand the total package of what they are receiving and the offer that’s on the table.”
Graves said she is scheduled to speak with a special magistrate Wednesday about the impasse declared by the county and the ongoing negotiations. An impasse hearing is set for Aug. 17.
Wayne Helsby, labor attorney for the county, said the three-year contract the county commission offered is the best they can do in that time frame but he is open to Graves’ suggestion for a one year deal.
“We want to get this thing resolved and get some finality,” Helsby said.
Jon Gilbert, a veteran paramedic who was part of the union negotiating team said he was planning to retire in a year but his wife knows he is fed up with the working conditions and the long hours and is urging him to leave now.
He is giving it serious consideration.
Graves, a veteran paramedic and instructor, said she is also evaluating her options.
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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt: July 28, 2020; Posted July 28, 2020
