Part-Time Firefighters OKd for County Despite Union’s Protest

The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday cleared the way for the county Fire Department to hire temporary employees as a cost-cutting move, an action bitterly opposed by the firefighters’ union.

The board voted unanimously--and unilaterally--to modify its agreement with Fire Fighters Local 1014. Members of the local have picketed the county Hall of Administration the past three Tuesdays during supervisors’ meetings.

County officials said the use of temporary employees, who have been hired in the past, was necessary to avoid paying large amounts of overtime as the result of a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that took effect April 15.

John Sibley, county employee relations director, had said the court ruling that government employees must be paid overtime could cost the county $2.2 million per year in extra pay for the firefighters.

He added that county officials hoped to cut that figure to $800,000, chiefly by hiring part-time firefighters and rescheduling work weeks and vacations for permanent employees.

Sibley said the firefighters got an automatic salary increase of $1,000 a year because of the Supreme Court ruling. The firefighters average 56 hours a week and must be paid overtime after working 53 hours, he explained.

An entry-level county firefighter earns an average salary of $1,960 per month, or $260 per shift, Sibley said. He added that part-time employees would get the beginner’s salary but fewer benefits than permanent staff.