As the Soberanes Fire in Big Sur rages into its third week, the Cal Fire firefighters union is bringing its contract negotiations argument to the Monterey area.
The Sacramento-based Local 2881 took out an advertisement in The Monterey Herald titled “Cal Fire is proud to serve our community in time of disaster” and highlighted its claim that Cal Fire firefighters are underpaid when compared to other fire departments, ranging from minimum wage pay for entry-level firefighters to a salary lag of between 33 and 89 percent behind the state average.
The union has been in contract reopener negotiations with the state since late last year, and has an Aug. 22 rally in Sacramento planned to call further attention to its cause.
Citing a 2014 California firefighter compensation survey conducted by the state’s Department of Human Resources, the ad notes that Cal Fire personnel in classifications ranging from firefighter II to battalion chiefs earn from 86.5 percent to 91 percent less in base pay than other firefighters, and when overtime is factored in about 29.7 to 39.9 percent less.
That, union officials noted, is for a Cal Fire rank and file that starts out earning minimum wage at the entry level despite working longer hours with more responsibility than their counterparts.
Union president Mike Lopez said Cal Fire personnel are increasingly leaving for better paying jobs and morale is a major issue.