Fla. EMS Workers Reach 3-Year Contract on Salaries

Jan. 07--MANATEE -- Manatee County Emergency Medical Services workers and Manatee County government have reached an agreement on the salary/wage issue of their labor deal.

During Wednesday's negotiations, Manatee County government and the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics Local 747, the Manatee County union reached an agreement on a contract.

"The county and union negotiating teams did reach agreement in principle on all open articles and no further negotiation sessions are scheduled," said Robert Eschenfelder, chief assistant county attorney. "In terms of next steps, I will be working with the union's lead negotiator over the next few weeks to finalize the wording of the contract."

The Manatee County union posted the news Wednesday on Facebook.

"We are happy to announce we have come to agreement with the county and have a contract to present to our members," the post reads. "We will announce the details once everything is finalized."

It will take about two weeks to determine the cost of the proposed agreement, Eschenfelder said.

Ken Skaggs, national representative for IAEP, said the contract would be for three years.

"It is better than a 15 percent raise in year one, including wage adjustments for many EMTs and paramedics of the agency," Skaggs said. "It is going to vary on a case-by-case basis based on seniority. It covers nearly all the EMTs and paramedics with the exception of new hires that they already gave a wage adjustment as an incentive to recruit."

After the final draft of the contract is completed, Eschenfelder said it will be provided to the union members in late January.

"The union's officers will discuss the proposed agreement's terms with their members," Eschenfelder said. "They will then vote to ratify the agreement. If a majority of the members vote to ratify, the agreement will be scheduled for approval by the county commission."

Approval is expected to occur in mid-February, Eschenfelder said.

The local union plans to meet with members about the contract, Skaggs said. They will have the "opportunity to vote on the offer themselves and ratify it. Given the recession and everything we went through, I am sure there will be a positive response."

The agreement comes after the union, which has been negotiating with the county since 2013, protested outside the county Administrative Building in November over the failed attempt to reach an agreement.

The Manatee County union protest cited low wages, forced overtime and other workplace issues. More than 30 Manatee County EMS paramedics and their families participated in the protest.

After the demonstration and the multiple-year negotiations, which were at times "very heated," Skaggs said the county "finally took notice and are listening."

"They came to the table very diligently initially and then it seemed their interest waned," he said. "After our demonstration, they seemed much more interested in completing the task."

Skaggs said he thinks both sides are satisfied with the agreement.

"We are very happy to be working in Manatee County," he said. "We are looking to a long-term relationship with them and working with them in the future under this contract."

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

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