With Long Beach firefighter salaries being among the lowest in Southern California, the City Council will vote tomorrow whether or not to approve a new plan that will raise firefighters’ wages at least 27 percent over the next five years. The vote will take place at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, at 5:00pm.
Also on the agenda is a similar vote to allow at 12 percent wage increase over five years to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the city’s largest union with 4,000-plus members.
The firefighter proposal is in response to a recent study showing that Long Beach’s firefighter wages and compensation are the lowest of the region’s 11 largest departments. The plan aims to raise the wages to the point that wages reach the region average to better convince firefighters to stay as well as recruit new firefighters. The IAM plan uses the same strategy.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor