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According to Redwood City Firefighters Association President Michael Elhihi, the employees of the Redwood City Fire Department are desperately seeking a new contract following the July 1 expiration of the union’s recent contract. He said in the meantime firefighters are working through understaffing, mandatory overtime and strain on families.
This is not the first time in recent years that the department has worked without a contract. The last time the city and union reached an agreement was after nearly 300 days of contract negotiations in 2022.
The contract led to a 7% increase over two years and maintained most of the union’s existing benefits, which included compensatory time off and vacation leave.
But now the department and city are back to square one.
“We have reached an impasse,” Elhihi said. “This is our second contract in a row where the city has put us at an impasse and not negotiated with us for a deal.”
Elhihi added that he has spoken with surrounding departments, and they are surprised at the numerous mandatory overtime hours his staff works. He said the men and women in the department want to fix this issue, which is caused by understaffing.
“Menlo Park, San Mateo. They look at us daily and ask, ‘What is going on with your city?’” Elhihi said in a statement sent to city officials. “In addition to 15,299 hours (668 shifts) of voluntary overtime… your paramedics have been forced to work almost six additional months.”
“That means in two years, your paramedics have worked almost nine extra months,” the statement added.
Another issue the department wants to fix is the cost-of-living adjustment.
The city responded by saying it is working to ensure employees receive wages and benefits that are competitive.
“While we are unable to speak to the specific details of confidential contract negotiations, we can unequivocally state that we value our city employees and strive to maintain competitive wages and benefits so that we can continue to recruit and retain a well-qualified workforce to provide quality services to the community,” said City Manager Patrick Heisinger.
He added, “The city is committed to respectful and good-faith labor negotiations with all of its bargaining units.”
Elhihi said that he felt the issue was personal and mentioned the controversial plan to close one of the fire stations recently.
“The community spoke up…,” he said. “And everything since then feels absolutely personal.”
Many, many folks in this town are now working two jobs – struggling to pay their bills – even just food and rent. Sorry, but some City workers must learn to operate more efficiently – just as they would in private industry. It usually takes 2 incomes – and some extra hours.
Thanks Charles. But I will believe you misunderstood. The fire fighters are being forced away from their families for consecutive days to cover for lack of staffing. This is not sustainable and our communities could suffer. Hard to compare to the private sector.
Our Firefighters deserve better! Our Fire Department has been rated top in the nation. A local survey found that over 90% residents also rated our Fire Department as excellent. It is a shame that our City does not manage our monies more effectively. What is happening with all the Measure RR funds? The sales tax measure that we were told would ensure our firefighters had the staffing, tools, and equipment needed to protect us? Anyone want to guess what the first big City expense was after we voted to approve RR passed? It was a big fat raise for our City Manager. This just isn’t right. The City of Redwood City needs to keep their end of the deal and spend OUR money taking care of OUR Firefighters!