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A San Antonio hearth truck travels a metropolis avenue with its emergency lights on.
San Antonio’s hearth union on Thursday mentioned it could solely comply with the town’s proposed 4% annual raises in the event that they’re accompanied by a 21.7% enhance to its members’ annual base pay.
That equates to a 33.7% pay bump over the following three years — a rise Deputy Metropolis Supervisor Maria Villagomez referred to as “unrealistic” throughout a 3rd assembly with the union over its collective bargaining settlement, which expires in December.
“It feels to us that you’re negotiating for what occurred prior to now 10 years,” Villagomez mentioned throughout Thursday’s assembly. “We’re specializing in the long run.”
Villagomez is referring to the final contract negotiation between the town and the union, which resulted through which hearth division staff going six years with no elevate whereas the union engaged in scorched-earth ways. That battle resulted in 2020 and was resolved in arbitration.
Along with the pay bump, the union needs a brand new contract that features 72 hours off after every 24-hour worker shift as an alternative of 48 hours, a change that might require the hiring of 404 extra personnel.
Union negotiators are additionally asking for a better beginning wage for entry-level firefighters, which presently sits at $56,172. Throughout a presentation on Thursday, union representatives identified that the beginning wage for San Antonio firefighters is decrease than these in Dallas, Arlington and Plano.
Even so, the town maintains it would not have the cash to make these desires a actuality. It could be compelled to faucet into the overall fund normally reserved for avenue work, public libraries and different public tasks.
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