Almost three years into Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, emergency medical service, or EMS, workers at the New York Fire Department are still waiting for the mayor to fulfill his promise of pay parity with their fellow firefighters. The wait spurred three unions representing these first responders to file a class-action lawsuit against the department, alleging discrimination.
Representing a workforce comprised mostly of women and people of color, Local 2507, Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621 and the FDNY EMS Superior Officers Association argue that they are the only first responders left without a contract and that they are the lowest paid in that sector.
The Fire Department wants EMS workers to give up their uniformed status and accept classification as civilians in exchange for a raise, but the unions are pushing back.
“Civilians get to be home on holidays. When it snows, the civilians get to stay home. When there’s a power outage, the civilians get to stay home,” said an EMS officer who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. “We have to be out in force for all of those things.”
Pay increases for civilian workers are lower than what uniformed personnel receive. The last contract for EMS workers expired in 2022, and Adams’ shows of support for EMS have not translated into a new agreement.
“We’re not asking for anything more than any of them,” Local 3621 President Vincent Variale said about other first responders who have negotiated new contracts.
Starting salaries for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are as low as $39,386 per year, compared to the starting salary for a firefighter, which is $54,122 per year. A paramedic’s starting salary is $53,891. While it takes two exams and an 18-week program to become a firefighter, it can take around two years to become a paramedic, and that’s only after working as an EMT first.
“We have a few members who live in shelters that have come to our attention throughout the years. They simply can’t afford the rent in New York City,” said Oren Barzilay, president of the Local 2507, which represents uniformed EMTs, paramedics and fire inspectors. He added that members reported being evicted and having to sleep in their cars after shifts.
According to Barzilay, the EMS FDNY Help Fund is able to provide them with aid for housing and food. Started by Variale after the 2017 murder of an EMT and single mother of five named Yadira Arroyo, the nonprofit organization is funded by donations from union members. The Fund also offers counseling and health care.
EMS professionals, along with other first responders like firefighters, have higher rates of suicide than the general population, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. EMS workers also experience illness and injury from the job regularly, according to union leaders, but are provided only 12 sick days a year, compared to the unlimited sick leave for firefighters and police officers.
“When a firefighter dies, they do it in a blaze of glory on the 10 o’clock news. When EMS dies, it happens from long term on-the-job injury, illness, or suicide from the experiences that they’ve had on the job,” said the anonymous officer.
The Fire Department declined to comment.
The lead negotiator on the bargaining team for the Fire Department recently stepped down, according to both Barzilay and Variale, who were not sure if this departure would affect their Oct. 18 meeting.
Union leaders are unsure how the lawsuit, now classified as a class action, will affect negotiations.
About the author(s)
Emily is an investigative journalist and Stabile fellow with a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College interested in covering mass incarceration and immigration.