Impasse Hearing San Diego City Firefighters I'A'F'F' Local 145

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Impasse HearingSan Diego City Firefighters
I.A.F.F. Local 145

• S

April 16, 2007 Item 203
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Who We Are

• Local 145 Fire Personnel provide these public
  safety services
• Fire Suppression - Airport Crash/Rescue
• Emergency Medicine - Helo Air Operations
• Arson Investigation - HAZMAT Response
• Fire Inspection Services - Explosive Device
  Response
• Heavy Rescue Services - Urban Search Rescue
• WMD Preparedness - Wildland Firefighting

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San Diego City Firefighters

• In FY 2006
• Responded to 99,121 emergency calls
• Provided 64,916 emergency medical transports
• Completed 3,021 weed/brush inspections
• Responded to 349 hazardous materials incidents

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San Diego Firefighters Do More With Less

• There are only .69 firefighters per 1,000
  population lowest ranking of any agency
  surveyed
• Department 300-400 firefighters and 22 stations
  short compared to national standards

• source Accreditation Study

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Population Per FirefighterSource Accreditation
Study
Highest ratio of citizens to firefighters
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How We Compare

• Compensation package is NOT competitive

Source Fire Compensation Study Source CPI
for San Diego Metropolitan Statistical Area
Dept of Labor
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How We Compare
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Top Step Fire Fighter II Total Compensation
ComparisonSource Fire Compensation Study
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Overtime

• Overtime is
• Necessary
• Department keeps approximately 50 budgeted
  positions vacant
• Mayor Sanders confirms that the department is 300
  firefighters and 22 stations short (Accreditation
  Report)
• Mayor Sanders has budgeted 8M of vacancy
  savings
• Cost Effective
• Cheaper to work firefighters on overtime basis
  than to hire additional personnel
• Were running the equivalent of 3.5 Stations on
  overtime shifts
• Does not count towards retirement

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Overtime

• Mandatory
• Firefighters can be disciplined for refusing to
  work mandatory coverage shifts
• Constant minimum staffing required under Cal-OSHA
  law
• For FEMA activations, Wildland USR task forces
• Quality and continuous public service demand it
• Population increased 18 since 1990
• Staffing levels have not increased at near that
  rate
• Source SANDAG Fast Facts 1/2007

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Overtime

• A significant impact on firefighters
• Firefighters work 832 hours more per year for
  base pay
• Firefighter 2,912 hours per year
• 40 hour employee 2,080 hours per year
• Time away from family, important events.
• Fire Service works 24/7, 365

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Past Concessions

• No salary or health benefit increase for two
  years
• CPI for San Diego rose 7.2
• Health Care premiums rose an average of 25
• Take-home pay reduced 5.7 in FY 06 for
  additional retirement contributions
• Elimination of Retirement benefits for Employees
  hired after 7/1/05 Retiree Health, DROP,
  Purchase of Service

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Health/Flex Benefits

• Health benefits are critically important to
  Firefighters
• Face increased risk of injury/death
• Higher experience of heart and lung disease,
  cancer
• City eliminating lower-cost, Union-Administered
  Health Plans from plan selection

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Health/Flex Benefits

• Citys annual contribution (5,575) is lowest of
  all agencies in Mayors Fire Compensation Survey
• 965 LESS than lowest comparable agency
  (Oceanside 6,540)
• 3,487 LESS than average
• 8,263 LESS than highest
• contributing agency
• (Encinitas 13,838)

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Annual Maximum Health Care/Flex Contribution
ComparisonSource City of San Diego Compensation
Benefits Study
3,487 less than average
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Consequences of City Proposal

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Fire Recruit Total Compensation
ComparisonSource Fire Compensation Survey
9,960 less than average
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Applicants Perspective

• Salary Not competitive and getting worse
• Health benefits Not competitive and getting
  worse
• Retiree Health No longer available
• DROP No longer available
• Purchase of Service No longer available
• Pension Benefit Under Attack
• Approved Overtime Under Attack
• Staffing Insufficient
• Resources Insufficient

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Salary Increase Comparison FY 07 through FY 09
Source City of San Diego Compensation Benefit
Study
0 Increase
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Recruitment

• 35 applicants rejected job offers since FY 2003
• A new trend

• Source Fire Department data

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Negotiations Status

• Firefighter One Year proposal
• 6 July 1, 2007 All classifications
• 2 July 1, 2007 Additional 2 for Fire
  Recruit Fire Fighter classifications
  only
• Add 500 to annual Health Benefits allotment
• Delay modification of flex-benefit redesign for
  one year
• Safety Retirement status for all classifications

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City Proposal

• No salary or health benefit increases for third
  year in a row
• In the face of double-digit inflation
• Reduction of health benefit contribution for 59
  of Local 145 members
• without meeting obligation in MOU to study the
  issue
• Elimination of lower-cost union-offered health
  benefit plans
• Inconsistent with philosophy of managed
  competition

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SIGNIFICANT IMPASSE ISSUES
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Avoid Creating Recruitment and Retention Problems

• Firefighter One Year proposal
• 6 July 1, 2007 All classifications
• 2 July 1, 2007 Additional 2 for Fire
  Recruit Fire Fighter I classifications
  only
• Add 500 to annual Health Benefits allotment
• Delay modification of flex-benefit redesign for
  one year
• Safety Retirement status for all
  classifications

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Bottom Line

• San Diego Firefighters have assisted the City in
  difficult financial times by agreeing to labor
  contracts for the last two years
• Agreements contained significant salary and
  benefit reductions
• Firefighters deserve a reasonable salary increase
• To avoid falling further behind the cost of
  living and creating a significant recruitment and
  retention problem
• Cost of increase can be funded within current
  Fire-Rescue Department budget
• 8M in Vacancy savings included in FY 08 budget
  proposal

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IMPASSE ISSUES