Every day, police officers, EMS personnel, and firefighters risk their lives and health to keep thousands of people safe and alive. These frontline defenders work countless, grueling hours, sometimes in the worst possible conditions. That’s why many citizens in Austin, Texas, find it outrageous that the city manager refuses to continue negotiations or even discuss firefighters’ salaries. People who risk their lives for their jobs don’t deserve this kind of disrespect.
The Austin Firefighters Association in Texas has been posting updates for several days now on how they are working on negotiations with the city manager. According to their social media posts, the issue began around April, when the firefighters’ association requested a salary increase. The reason is that firefighters earn less than the police department and EMS, despite also risking their lives, health, and working long hours. However, things took a turn for the worse on September 18, when, during one of the negotiations, the city manager presented an offer that was “not only disappointing but disrespectful.” This “offer” called for four years of no raises and longer working hours for firefighters.
The flames of conflict fanned when the City of Austin canceled the meeting scheduled for Monday, September 22. The Austin Firefighters Association responded with images and posts captioned “Firefighters Are Waiting To Hear More Than Zero,” as a countdown, giving the city council only eight days to respond to the meeting cancellation. So far, the countdown has only been going on for two days. Still, the city manager should respond as soon as possible, because discontent and disrespect are escalating enormously. If this continues, the issue could escalate into an uncontrollable wildfire.
‘Can it actually be called an offer if it’s zero? Can we get the definition of offer over here?‘ commented Michelle Porst on Facebook.
Several people showed their support in comments on various posts, especially on the Austin Firefighters Association Facebook page. Many of these comments agreed that firefighters do not deserve this treatment and that they should receive a significant raise. It is also outrageous to give nothing in return to the people who keep citizens, nature, and pet companions safe. Let’s hope the City of Austin schedules a new meeting soon and reaches a real deal with the firefighters. The fairest thing is that everyone, including police officers, EMS personnel, and firefighters, should have a decent salary and work schedules that aren’t so insane.
