Labor & Union Issues
The labor and union issues topic brings together a range of relevant news, articles and resources for EMS personnel and agencies.
Co-hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson also discuss the story out of Beaufort, S.C., where county employees lost their health benefits
Co-hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the benefits if paramedic schools were to start offering programs where students can focus on a specific niche in the EMS field
We should be applauding NY’s decision to increase minimum wage, and fight for better compensation in our own industry
The legislation allows the government to purchase essential vehicles one at a time instead of purchasing an entire new fleet
The union will be the largest to form in the region in recent years
The district has only one EMT staffed to run the ambulance service
During April, there were a combined 714 incidents of delays in handing over patients to staff
The paramedic claims the city’s chief became “loud and aggressive” toward her after the grievance was filed
A fire department spokesman said paramedics aren’t sent into areas where they need it; union officials say that is not true
Pay for training, regardless of on-duty or off-duty, depends on the requirement and intent of the training course
An EMS agency, facing an applicant shortage, surveyed EMS providers to see if employee-employer compensation expectations matched
The county has only one paramedic that is responsible for covering 4,000 miles
The company has over 700 employees who will decide who they want to be represented by in collective bargaining
The “public duty rule” provides responders broad immunity from lawsuits stemming from their on-the-job actions
Hire EMS providers with the experience, positive attitude and maturity to help your volunteer service be excellent in its commitment to the community
The city wants firefighters to maintain their license throughout their career; the union is advocating for it to be required only a portion of that time
Officials recommended adding a ninth ambulance to operate during peak hours; they’re also in need of more volunteers
Lisa Grande was the first woman promoted to an officer rank in the department; she was terminated eight months later
The new plan is set to go in effect on April 15; there has been major opposition from the city council members and residents
City officials unanimously passed a resolution to show support for keeping the mutual aid agreement with non-profit ambulance services in neighboring towns
The mayor announced the plan to end the agreement in March; a city council chairman said there is no need to fix something that isn’t broken
The union claims the employee turnover rate at the EMS agency last year was 23 percent — twice the national average
County commissioners introduced a proposal that would change EMS shifts; the paramedic said it would cause experienced medics to seek work elsewhere
Long hospital bed delays are forcing some paramedics to wait hours to hand off a patient to the hospital, resulting in less medics available to respond to calls
Low pay, long hours and high stress are the primary reasons for the shortage; the EMS director said the lack of paramedics has reached “critical levels”
The mayor plans to scrap an agreement with three towns; the new plan was met with skepticism by the former mayor and fire union president
The dispute arose after trustees voted to purchase a Dodge ambulance instead of a more expensive Navistar unit produced locally
Poor pay from hospitals and private health insurers and a sharp rise in Medicaid patients have contributed to the financial woes
The department became licensed as an ALS-level service in 2014; they have three years to meet the requirements or will lose their license
The move comes after a lawsuit between the fire district and county commissioners after they refused to renew the fire district’s certificate to hire its own medical director
The calls are not intended to be a source of revenue but rather a preventative measure to discourage repeat non-emergency EMS callers
The EMT was fired after his supervisor told him he was not mentally fit for duty and that he was a liability for the department
We laugh about our own fatigue-related episodes, but such gallows humor belittles the real issue that lies beneath
