HUNTINGTON BEACH : Firefighters Plead Case Before Council

Stepping up pressure on the city to settle a prolonged contract dispute, a group of city firefighters took their case to the City Council.

Firefighters who attended last week’s meeting asked council members to bring Huntington Beach salaries more in line with those of other firefighting agencies in the county.

“This City Council has said that public safety is a top priority in this city, said Robert Glenn, a Huntington Beach paramedic. “. . . Well, if public safety is really valued, you would give us a fair and equitable contract and show that public safety really is a No. 1 concern.”

The city and the Huntington Beach Firefighters Assn. last week officially declared an impasse in their yearlong contract negotiations. The union’s 144 firefighters, captains, fire engineers, paramedics and dispatchers have been working without a contract since Oct. 1.

The city has offered the union a 19.5% pay raise over three years, similar to salary hikes recently given to all other city employees. The proposal would also give an additional 2% raise to firefighters and 1% to fire engineers.

Firefighters are asking for 4% more than the city’s offer, arguing that they have long been underpaid in comparison to other city employees and other firefighters in the county.

Huntington Beach firefighters currently earn from about $31,200 to $40,080 a year, ranking 14th among the 16 firefighting agencies in the county, union President Curt Campbell said. The city-proposed raises would boost their standing to seventh in the county, he said.

Because Huntington Beach is the county’s third-largest city and its Fire Department handles the third-highest number of emergency calls, firefighters say they should be the third-highest paid.

Additionally, firefighters pointed out to council members that they are paid 22% less than the city’s police officers. With the proposed pay package, firefighters would still trail city police officers in salary by 11.2%, said Dan Coffman, southern director of the California State Firefighters’ Assn.

“I’m surprised how far firefighters have slipped in comparison with the police,” Coffman told the council. “I know how that happened. They’re happy being firefighters here and have sat on their hands for years. . . . But now that needs to be corrected.”

Mayor Peter M. Green has said that firefighters should be paid more. But, considering the city’s ongoing financial woes, “there is a limit,” Green said.

James R. Lacey, a 28-year Fire Department veteran, said the city should divert money from other accounts, such as the Redevelopment Agency, to improve pay for its firefighters.

“The city’s firefighters should not be obligated to finance the redevelopment of this city,” he said. “It’s about time we get down to serious negotiations.”