San Jose’s firefighters appear set to receive a raise that could cost the city tens of millions of dollars in the coming years.
On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on a tentative agreement with the firefighters union, the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 230, that would increase base pay each year for the next five years by at least 3 percent.
The union represents a range of nearly 700 firefighting employees, from firefighting recruits, who earn about $72,000, to battalion chiefs, who make roughly $134,000 to about $163,000.
“San Jose’s firefighters are now among the absolute lowest paid in the entire Bay Area,” said Sean Kaldor, the president of the union. The agreement would also roll pay for several things, such as anti-terrorism training, into base pay.
In total, the wage hike and other changes would cost the city almost $40 million between now and 2023.