MONTEREY PARK : City OKs Pay Hike in Bid to Deter Firefighters From Leaving

Hoping to dissuade firefighters from fleeing its Fire Department for higher-paying jurisdictions, the Monterey Park City Council has moved the city off the bottom of county fire pay rankings by approving a 7% increase over two years.

The pay raise was approved last week after leaders of the Monterey Park Firefighters Assn. pointed out that the city’s firefighters had the lowest salaries and benefits among the county’s 34 fire departments. The firefighters’ group accused city management of fostering a transient fire department with high turnover.

Councilman Fred Balderrama said he hopes the pay raise will reduce the number of employees looking to leave the department.

“They’d learn the ropes here and then, basically, we didn’t pay enough to keep them here,” he said.

In the past three years, a dozen of the department’s 52 employees have left; another two captains, five engineers and 16 firefighters have applied to other departments and are on waiting lists, said Chris Donovan, president of the firefighters group.

One firefighter said, “Those around the department like to joke (that) the only person with a shorter tenure than an NFL coach is a Monterey Park firefighter.”

The contract signed last week is the first revision in five years and provides a 4% increase this year--retroactive to July--and 3% next year, plus a $1,000 signing bonus for each firefighter.

Previously, a Monterey Park firefighter earned an average of $3,830 a month in salary and benefits, compared with $4,777 in Arcadia, which has a similar-sized department, according to a recent city-by-city study. Under the new Monterey Park contract, salaries will immediately go to an average of about $4,000 a month.

“We’re no longer the lowest-paid, and I hope this will persuade more firefighters to stick with the department,” Donovan said. According to a recent survey, if the pay and benefits of other departments do not change, Lynwood would be in the bottom spot. Monterey Park would still be in the bottom five.

Some council members were reluctant to approve the contract. Councilman Francisco Alonso said he believes the association has exaggerated the rate of turnover.

“We have a high turnover among probationary recruits . . . but I understand only around 10% overall,” he said.

Alonso said he would like to keep firefighters from playing one city against another to raise their pay. “I am surprised the cities don’t form a monopoly, and all pay the same, to stop this.”