By LAURA FIGUEROA
Bradenton Herald (Florida)
Sarasota County officials and representatives with the Suncoast Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Local 2456 seem to agree on all points of a new contract for the county’s firefighters. All except one - the pay.
In a news release county officials declared an impasse in the negotiations with the firefighters’ union. Negotiations between the two groups have been going on since May 2005. The contract expired on Sept. 30, 2005.
County officials say the $2 million increase from 2005’s pay package is a “generous and competitive” offer, while union officials say they would like to see that figure increase by another million to deal with the rising cost of living in Sarasota County.
“What the union has proposed was a lot higher than the county’s proposal,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief Brian Gorski. “What the county’s offering is pretty generous. It puts the bulk of the money to where the positions are. Working through the steps, someone who is just beginning could get more than a 40 percent pay raise in three years.”
Merv Kennell, with the Suncoast Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Local 2546, said the union is seeking a pay increase comparable to the scale used for county administrators.
“It doesn’t make sense that the philosophy used for higher paid officials wouldn’t be appropriate for the county’s lesser paid employees,” Kennell said. “Finding affordable housing in this area is a challenge given how expensive the community is. We’re not trying to be the top paid, nor do we believe that we’re less than average.”
Under the proposed Sarasota County contract offering, a second year firemedic would make $34,800 in the first year of the contract, and by the third year make $45,657.
Gorski said the increases are needed to make Sarasota County competitive in attracting firefighters. The fire department already has employees who commute from as far as Orlando and Jacksonville, according to the county’s press release.
Randall Stulce, president of the Manatee County Fire Chief’s Association said Sarasota’s negotiations would not have an adverse impact on future salary scales for Manatee County’s firefighters.
“It’s a totally different ball game, they run under different circumstances,” said Stulce, referring to Sarasota’s county-wide fire district, compared to Manatee County’s 13 separate fire districts. “It shouldn’t have any effect on Manatee County.”
Though Sarasota’s contract for firefighters expired in September 2005, Gorski said the department is still functioning under the terms of that contract until a new one can be agreed upon.
Gorski added that fire service will not be affected by the collective bargaining between Sarasota County and the firefighters union.