Labor & Union Issues
The labor and union issues topic brings together a range of relevant news, articles and resources for EMS personnel and agencies.
The EMS Counts Act would update federal labor statistics to include EMS providers who also serve as firefighters
What happens if EMS providers who use marijuana safely and legally test positive days later in violation of policies?
There are great EMS employers out there, but finding them takes time, and the willingness to take risks on the unknown
County commissioner Jim Bernard said the risk of a lawsuit and the time and expense of restarting a process for new bids isn’t in the best interest of county residents
At least 100 paramedics have not been properly certified; officials are now trying to determine just how far the problem spread
Officials are proposing that they reduce the number of paramedics on duty overnight when the volume of 911 calls drops
Donald Penney, 48, faces 29 felony charges after allegedly diverting drugs from multiple patients at a hospital
Forming an independent union will be put to vote by 413 workers in an effort to improve working conditions
Firefighter union members can either sue the city or accept the pension terms
Volunteer emergency services agencies were concerned that under the Affordable Care Act they were being considered ‘employers’
The department, which has been fighting court battles over racial and sexual discrimination for decades, remains a long way from reflecting the city it serves
Squad Captain John Gavaris said the EMT would not have been suspended had he not had a record “of violating our policies and not following our rules”
The new policy intends to limit publishing of inappropriate, confidential or privileged information online
Over a four-year period, companies owned by Rural/Metro billed Medicare for numerous emergency patient transportation trips when the calls were not emergencies
Stephen Sawyer, who is not old enough to drive an ambulance, resigned after criticism for driving the child to the hospital when no other ambulance crews were available
Officials say the $44 to $53 increase is a response to a surge in emergency calls and the need for a third ambulance
A new report shows Oahu, Hawaii’s only private ambulance service turned down nearly 40 percent of calls, has lagging response times
The rural ambulance service owes employees four paychecks; one EMT says company should “throw in the towel”
REMS will remain on the job after residents rejected a private co. and fought for their hometown rescue squad
The suit says that First Med violated the federal WARN act in not giving advance written notice to employees of Friday’s mass layoffs
Mass layoff ruins Christmas for EMTs and their communities
He also faces murder charges in a July crash that killed a woman and her three young sons while drag racing
First Med, which owns LIFE Ambulance and MedCorp, is reportedly “out of money” and abruptly ended services Friday night
Councilmember Tommy Wells says he’s not convinced the department has a handle on its personnel problems
EMTs were given 90 days to leave by the landlord, but city officials have found no structural deficiencies
Voters will be asked whether to increase the town’s dedicated EMS coverage from 12 hours a day, five days a week to 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the first three months of 2014
The paramedic who took the photo of patients said he did so spontaneously, and later sent it to the media to highlight the overcrowding
Officials ruled to allow fire departments to enforce a ‘zero tolerance’ rule against illegal drug use by paramedics and EMTs
“We’re talking about trying to resolve a system that’s been broken for 15 to 20 years. We’re addressing a long-standing problem,” Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe said
The residents are speaking out in hopes that the ambulance company will win the bid to be the permanent EMS provider next month