Firefighters declare impasse; council approves PR firm to explain East Bank fire pay plan amid public outcry

Jefferson Parish firefighters told the council on Oct. 1 that negotiations with the administration over a revised pay plan have reached an impasse and urged the council not to proceed with hiring outside consultants to shape public messaging.

Craig Burkett of the Jefferson Firefighters Association said his union opposed agenda item 24, which would hire a public‑relations firm, and that negotiations with the administration have stalled after years of discussions. “So far, the administration has not...explain the pay plan themselves, much less explain it to a PR firm that’s supposed to explain it to our public,” Burkett said during public comment, and he said the union had declared an impasse and would submit its final offer to the council.

Several members of the public and firefighters’ representatives expanded on those concerns in the meeting’s public‑comment period. Joshua Mosby criticized the idea of hiring outside PR help, saying a consultant will “map out our longevity raises to make it look like everything is fine” and argued the move was about spin rather than transparency. Other speakers pressed for detailed accounting: where taxpayer dollars would come from, whether previous millage increases had been spent as voters were told, and whether the proposed fixes would amount to across‑the‑board raises or targeted adjustments.

Council considered a resolution to select a firm to provide an information campaign related to the East Jefferson consolidated fire department pay plan. Council members called for a roll‑call vote. The clerk recorded members’ votes and the motion to select Campbell Communications passed; at least two council members voted no during the roll call. (Council minutes record the motion passed after roll‑call responses.)

Parish President Cynthia Lee Schenk addressed the pay study and the council, saying the administration acknowledged starting‑level firefighter pay was below the market and that the administration was committed to finding fiscally responsible ways to raise starting pay where it is noncompetitive. Schenk explained state pay‑scale rules limit the parish’s ability to lift only certain positions without raising others, and she said closing the full statutory gap would cost far more than a targeted fix: “To bring up the positions that are below competition…would cost us $327,000. But because of state law…[the wider fix] is a $9,800,000 fix,” she said.

Why it matters: The exchange pits firefighters and their union against the administration over pay, transparency and how to communicate with the public. Hiring a PR firm to explain a pay plan is a politically sensitive step because it involves taxpayer money and may shape public perceptions ahead of any legislative or ballot action.

What’s next: The PR contract selection stands; union leaders said they plan follow‑up steps and to submit their final offer. Council members who voted in favor said they want accurate public information and offered to engage with firefighter leaders about disputed figures.