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By Demanding 10 Percent Raise, City Firefighters Insult Taxpayers

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2007

Tampa firefighters earn an average of more than $59,000 a year. They work 24-hour shifts, then get 48 hours off, a schedule that allows many to work second jobs or run businesses. They also enjoy a generous pension plan that allows them to retire after 20 years, sometimes sooner.

Yet with the economy gasping, tax revenues lagging and the city cutting personnel and services, the union that represents city firefighters wants an annual raise that would average 10 percent for most members.

Unhappy that their demand was rejected, the International Association of Firefighters, Local 754, has declared an impasse with the city. A special magistrate now will help settle the dispute. There's a chance that Tampa City Council will have the final say, a worrisome thought. When it comes to handing out money, this council rarely says no.

The conflict illustrates how government unions - especially those for police and firefighters - have lost all sense of economic reality.

How many private-sector employees insist on a 10 percent raise during tough economic times? Most would be delighted with the 6 percent average raise the city has offered firefighters.

Still, the city can blame only itself for this situation. Rolling in money from escalating property values, Tampa mayors have awarded raises unlike anything seen in the private sector, creating the expectation that public safety officers are entitled to double-digit raises.

Citizens, it should be said, did not initially object, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, which underscored the deadly sacrifices that public safety officials sometimes make. But lost in the desire to show support was any measure of fiscal restraint.

Thanks to generous raises and benefits, city operating costs - and union expectations - are out of control. The effect has spilled over into the county, where the union that represents sheriff's deputies is making similar heavy-handed demands. Fortunately, Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee is standing up for fiscal sanity.

Tampa firefighters are among the best-paid in the state. City officials say they have had no trouble attracting or keeping firefighters. Indeed, there's a waiting list to get in.

Given the city's financial challenges, its offer seems more than generous: a 2.3 percent annual raise for all firefighters; plus another 3.5 percent merit raise, for an average of 5.8 percent. The union wants a 5 percent annual raise plus an average 5 percent merit increase.

Union officials stress that nearly half - 47 percent - of firefighters are at the top of their grade level and would not be eligible for the merit raise. But do they think there should be no upper limits on a position's pay? Private sector businesses don't allow unchecked escalation of costs. Government shouldn't either.

The bottom line: Firefighters are already fairly paid and enjoy a generous pension and retirement package. They deserve the public's support and gratitude, but they should not be allowed to burn a hole in the city's budget and taxpayers' pockets.

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