Separate pay scale proposed for federal firefighters may be costly
DEPARTMENTS
Dispatches
A California legislator has proposed creating a separate pay schedule for federal firefighters to reduce their work week from 72 hours to 60.
But the Defense Department, which employs about 90 percent of the firefighters who would be affected, strongly opposes the measure. It says Congressman Mickey Leland’s bill would cost an additional $27.2 million to maintain the same level of fire protection. An additional 1,695 firefighters would have to be hired to make up for the reduction in hours, according to one government estimate.
The firefighters’ biweekly pay comes from three areas: base pay from the federal employees’ General Schedule; premium pay (about 25 percent of the base pay); and overtime. The bill, H.R. 1174, would simplify the system because pay would come from one source, its proponents and the U.S. General Accounting Office say.
Although the hourly wages would increase by about 12 percent, most firefighters would receive less annual pay because of the reduced work week.
In his remarks to Congress upon the bill’s introduction earlier this year, Democrat Leland said the existing pay schedule has a negative impact on career development because promotion generally means a shorter work week and less pay. He gave as an example an assistant chief who, although two grades higher than a crew chief, earns less than subordinates.
The bill has been referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service.
