New York City medics are set to receive a pay raise in a tentative deal with City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the union representing EMS workers announced Friday.
Under the handshake agreement, the salary for an FDNY EMT who just started their job will be $39,386 — up from $35,254, or just $16.95 per hour, which is less than $2 above minimum wage.
The pay for EMTs with five years on the job will be upped to $68,700, and FDNY paramedics with five years of experience would see their $65,000 base salary rise to about $86,000, according to the tentative three-year deal, which has yet to be ratified by union members.
It also tacks on an additional 6 percent pay boost for 4,500 workers trained to respond to non-violent mental health crisis situations, as well as a six-month contract extension and other pay bumps.
“This contract brings us closer to what we have been fighting for,” said Oren Barzilay, President of EMS Local 2507, in a press release.
New York City ambulance workers have long fought for hikes in their pay, which has lagged far behind salaries for other uniformed emergency services workers. In January 2019, The Post reported that the city’s emergency worker shortage was caused in part by the pay disparity between EMTs and firefighters.
The current top salary for an EMT who has worked five years is $53,437, compared to more than $86,000 for a smoke-eater with the same amount of experience
“Our emergency service workers are heroes who got New York City through the worst crisis in generations and continue to serve our city every day with honor,” said de Blasio in a statement sent Friday.
“This agreement increases wages and will allow us to expand our incredible mental health pilot, which has already proven to be an effective way to handle non-violent mental health calls.”
The preliminary agreement will cost the city $44.2 million in the 2022 fiscal year, according to City Hall.
Vincent Variale, president of Local 3621, said the deal “addresses” longstanding issues facing EMS workers.
“This contract addresses issues that have negatively impacted EMS for many years,” he said. “While it does not provide parity with the other Uniformed Emergency Services, it does provide financial relief for our EMS members, Heroes of NYC.”
“This is an important day for our first responders in Locals 2507 and 3621 who are getting the big raises they deserve,” Henry Garrido — executive director of District Council 37, which has about 150,00 members — said in a prepared statement.
“These members were on the frontlines for COVID-19 helping New Yorkers in need.”
One lawmaker who has vocally advocated for EMS workers to get paid more praised the agreement’s pay raise for “heroic street doctors.”
“Mayor has announced [a] tentative contract agreement with FDNY EMS. While it STILL does not provide pay parity with other uniformed emergency 911 services, it will give some financial relief to these heroic street doctors,” said Councilman Justin Brannan (D- Bay Ridge) in a tweet. “The work continues!
The tentative contract comes after EMS workers boycotted the Canyon of Heroes essential worker parade in July due to their frustration about their paltry entry-level salaries.
In spring 2020, during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, de Blasio pushed back against hiking pay for EMT workers, pledging to address the situation “when we get through this.”
“It’s not the time to, you know, make something up on the fly in the middle of a crisis. That’s just the truth. We’ll figure this out when we get through this crisis,” de Blasio said on April 3 2020 on WNYC.
Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams, who will likely serve as the next mayor, in June promised a pay bump for FDNY EMS workers when he received their unions’ endorsement in the Democratic primary.
