ST PAUL, Minn. — A St. Paul firefighter union held a two-hour informational picket Wednesday morning at Snelling and Laurel Avenues near Fire Station 14.
Like most firefighters nationwide, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 21 members don't have the authority to hold a labor strike. Meaning, there wasn't a work stoppage or public safety impact while they rallied alongside supporters including State Sen. Judy Seeberger (D-41, DFL), a member of the Lower St. Croix Valley Fire Dept.
However, Local 21 reports St. Paul pays less than neighboring departments, with the St. Paul Fire Department ranking 14th statewide for starting wages and 18th statewide for wages after five years of employment. In comparison, the union says the Minneapolis Fire Department ranks 9th for starting wages and 13th for wages after five years of employment. The Oakdale Fire Department reportedly tops both charts.
Local 21 President Mike Smith said St. Paul's lower rankings impact staffing levels, which impacts the community.
"We're the capital city," Smith said. "We deserve better … We're the busiest fire department. We're the biggest fire department but we're not compensated like it."
Local 21 says the SPFD only has eight more sworn firefighters than it had 50 years ago.
"It's hard to recruit people to work in St. Paul," Smith said. "Make this a place where people want to come work. That's all we're asking. It's about public safety, it's not about us."
With more than 62,000 calls for service last year, the union is asking the city council to fund the hiring of additional full-time firefighters using a $516,000 investment the fire chief previously proposed putting toward Basic Life Support Unit employees instead.
"The mayor wants to add 30,000 more residents," Smith said. "Call volume is going to continue to skyrocket but we're doing nothing to add more sworn firefighters."
Union members are also asking that the $15-20 million in revenue typically generated from ambulance services go toward hiring additional paramedics instead of going into the city's general fund.
It's unclear exactly how many additional firefighters or paramedics the union would like to see hired.
Mayor Melvin Carter's Office sent KARE 11 a copy of an e-mail the mayor has been sending out in response to contract concerns. In it, he says he'll propose sending 18 firefighters to paramedic school, adding, "We are working closely with our fire chief to pilot an innovative peak staffing model that will allow us to proactively shift department staffing at times when demand for SPFD services are predictably high."
Carter also supports expanding the Basic Life Support Unit, saying this would offload thousands of calls from firefighters and paramedics so they can respond to the most critical emergencies.
His e-mail also suggests purchasing new personal protective equipment, conducting safety and survival training, renewing fitness equipment in fire stations, and providing firefighters with enhanced health screenings.
Carter said the city has allocated $14.9 million into the SPFD budget and hired and trained 65 new firefighters since taking office in 2018.
He said the city will continue to negotiate with Local 21.
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