I just had to laugh...
There is a thread on firehouse forums right now where the firefighters are discussing pay across the Nation. I just had to laugh at some of the figures compared to ours. You can view the thread here. It is interesting how one of the firefighters from South Carolina gives his pay and then makes the comment that it is the benefit of working for a Right To Work State. Needless to say, his pay is on the lower end of the spectrum. That same lower end of the spectrum is the same area where ours is located.
We can only hope that we can get the National Collective Bargaining Bill passed and actually have some say on our pay grades.
Another note is that Roanoke City just sent many Chiefs to the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference. That same group (IAFC) is rumored to be fighting against the Collective Bargaining Bill. Does this mean that Roanoke City will soon be sending firefighters to IAFF events?
Just a thought.
You can view more information about the Collective Bargaining Bill here.
View some key points about the bill here.
We can only hope that we can get the National Collective Bargaining Bill passed and actually have some say on our pay grades.
Another note is that Roanoke City just sent many Chiefs to the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference. That same group (IAFC) is rumored to be fighting against the Collective Bargaining Bill. Does this mean that Roanoke City will soon be sending firefighters to IAFF events?
Just a thought.
You can view more information about the Collective Bargaining Bill here.
View some key points about the bill here.
4 comments:
You can not easily compare salaries/pay across the country unless you also adjust for the cost of living in each area. The Roanoke area is lower than many other areas for the cost of living. Therefore it is easy to reason that pay is lower. Sure you can make more in other areas, but try living there.
The Roanoke area's cost of living is at least 10%-15% below the Richmond area, 35%-45% below the DC area, at least 20% lower than most areas of PA. Measure against NY, NJ and other areas.....well you get the picture.
Folks always seem to get all caught up in comparing pay, but it is all relative. Roanoke is about 10% the national average for it's cost of living, therefore the salaries should be 10% below the national average.
Ok, I will entertain your point. But how much percentage difference is there between 32k in Roanoke and 52k in Rockford Illinois? What about the same in Alaska? What about 32k compared to 61k in Quebec? What about the top paid Captain in Roanoke making around 60k and in Ocean City NJ making 100k? What about a 14 year lt. in suburban Chicago making twice what the same lt. makes in Roanoke? what about a 7 year medic in Roanoke making 39k while the same in Florida makes 55k? What about a 22 year Captain making 92 in Texas and our best making around 60k? But those are just some examples. Seems like more than 10% to me...
While I agree that the wages need to be adjusted and increased, a bigger issue that the younger generation needs to look at and get to working on is our retirement multiplier. This along with the outrageous health care costs that the retirees are paying are not leaving much in the bank. Unless you are really putting the green in an ICMA or another retirement based account the only thing your ICMA is going to cover is your healthcare costs when you hang up the helmet.
Any employee in this great country who does not believe they are being treated fairly or paid to what they believe is their full potential has the ability to leave and find other employment. Its a beautiful thing.
Im not saying that I wouldnt mind a raise, but you get where Im going with this. Our pay is fair for what we do and where we live. For those who ride slow engines or ladders, our pay is fantastic.
Try to focus more on the positive than the negative...it gets tiresome hearing and reading complaints on a daily basis.
Remember, this is not a sentence, its a job....you can leave at any time.
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