Coping with staff shortages, Raleigh police and firefighters will protest wage increases :: WRAL.com

Laura Lavigne, WRAL reporter

Raleigh, NC – Raleigh police officers and firefighters will gather Tuesday afternoon to step up their call for better pay.

Firefighters said WRAL News best pay will support the Fire Department’s role in retaining staff and recruiting nearly 60 vacancies.

The rapid response team plans to protest near the town hall at 228 West Hargett St. in downtown Raleigh from 12:00 to 15:00

Currently, the Raleigh Fire Department has 58 vacancies for firefighters, an increase of 450% in two years.

Although Raleigh’s hourly wage is $ 17.33, a firefighter from Raleigh starts his career at $ 13.42 an hour. The city’s new pay plan only increases firefighters’ salaries to $ 15.06.

Firefighters want the city of Raleigh to raise the starting pay by $ 18.20 an hour and adjust the entire pay scale accordingly. Their proposed bid is $ 2.30 higher than what the city is currently offering.

Role of Fire Professionals Association President Andrew Davis told WRAL News that the current plan will do nothing to save veteran firefighters, which poses a threat to public safety if staff shortages persist.

“We predict that this summer there may be communities that won’t have fire protection for a day or a few days due to a lack of staff,” Davis said. “It worries us, it makes us sick.”

This was announced last week by Amanda Lamb of WRAL every law enforcement agency in Wake County has a higher starting salary than the Raleigh Police Department.

Raleigh City Council aims to fill 168 police department vacancies, or about 20 percent of the total, by raising the minimum wage in each category, with the biggest jump for new officers.

“It was a real slap in the face to give these veteran officers half of what they give recruits,” said Rick Armstrong, a spokesman for the Raleigh Police Protection Association.

Armstrong said he agrees that raising the salaries of entry-level officers from $ 42,000 to $ 50,000 makes sense. But he says that to be fair, veteran officers also need to get a substantial pay raise.