Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Negotiations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Escambia County to pursue MOU on EMT/paramedic pay while budget review delays broader retirement changes
Summary
At a Jan. 12 negotiation meeting, Escambia County officials said retirement changes in the IAFF proposal are not feasible this year but agreed to draft a memorandum of understanding to implement EMT/paramedic pay changes now and present it to union membership; final decisions on broader scale changes await May budget collection data.
Escambia County human resources and fire department officials met with representatives of IAFF Local 4131 on Jan. 12 to continue wage negotiations, agreeing to pursue a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to implement EMT/paramedic pay adjustments while deferring retirement changes until budget collections are clearer.
Nikki Powell, the county's human resources director, said staff reviewed the union proposal and updated a regional pay-comparison spreadsheet to separate FRS and non-FRS entities. Powell presented preliminary cost estimates and told the group the county would need clearer collection numbers before committing to multi-year scale changes. "I don't think that's something we can accomplish, especially this year," Eric Gilmore, public safety, said of the retirement request.
County staff and labor representatives identified the EMT/paramedic pay item as the most immediately actionable part of the union's proposal. Powell estimated implementation costs and indicated roughly $300,000 of the county's preliminary figure could be associated with EMT/paramedic adjustments, while noting that all figures were preliminary and subject to confirmation.
Officials said they will meet with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine the budget differential — the gap between projected collections and recurring costs — that will define what the county can sustain going forward. County staff said reliable collection data is expected by May and that one-time savings in the current fiscal year (for example, unfilled positions) cannot be counted toward recurring salary increases without a sustained funding source.
Union representatives pressed for a faster timeline, saying multi-year projections show rising costs and emphasizing recruitment and retention concerns if the department falls behind regional pay. The parties discussed internal promotion mechanics (a guaranteed 10% promotion increase that may lock an employee at a step until the broader scale catches up) and other operational items, such as special pays and contract language on hours and implementation details.
On the key near-term outcome, union and county representatives agreed to draft an MOU for the EMT/paramedic pay item and bring it to IAFF Local 4131 membership for a vote. "We can do an MOU for this, get this at least going," a union representative said during the meeting. The union planned a membership meeting Thursday to vote and promised to report back to county staff early next week.
No formal changes to retirement provisions or a full multi-year scale were adopted at the meeting. County officials characterized next steps as: (1) a staff meeting with OMB to quantify the budget differential, (2) county drafting of an EMT/paramedic MOU, and (3) a union membership vote to approve the MOU. The parties agreed to reconvene in follow-up labor-management sessions to address remaining proposals and operational contract items.
The meeting closed with both sides thanking one another; formal implementation of any compensation changes will depend on the OMB budget review and the union membership vote.
