RFI. Anyone know what's up with AMR in NorCal.?

[SandpitMedic]

EMT Bs start at like 16-17 per hour. Medics 21ish. That's in Sacramento.

Any news????

 

[exodus]

EMT Bs start at like 16-17 per hour. Medics 21ish. That's in Sacramento.

Any news????

Nothin yet? And wow... That's crazy high. We start around 10 here..

 

[SandpitMedic]

I know. That's why I said I don't know what they're complaining about. I suppose you get used to that income, but if you look at the broad pay across the board they are certainly one of the highest paid operations of any company. In the Bay Area, I can see this as justifiable due to the insane cost of living; the Central Valley like Stockton, Sac, Placer, Yolo, etc do not have a high cost of living. When I worked Rancho/Redlands in San Bernadino County I made like 9.67 and hour doing IFT & 911, and the cost of living was probably like 25% higher than when I lived in Sacramento, yet those dudes are making loot. It is not comparable to anywhere else, and while I feel for them because they get used to that dough, there are thousands of us elsewhere working for 8-12 an hour putting up with the same bs daily, and not complaining.

I'm not really sure what the deal is up there, or if the rumors are true about the 10% cut and their potential strike. All I'm saying is they have been making out like bandits; making what we ALL should be making at a base salary for the responsibilities we undertake.

 

[TransportJockey]

I'm sad they haven't asked NM operations... but then again we are so short staffed that it's ridiculous.

But I would gladly go cover NorCal...

We had a person that claimed they were from the union in NorCal at my operation, trying to get signatures of support for their striking.

 

[exodus]

I know. That's why I said I don't know what they're complaining about. I suppose you get used to that income, but if you look at the broad pay across the board they are certainly one of the highest paid operations of any company. In the Bay Area, I can see this as justifiable due to the insane cost of living; the Central Valley like Stockton, Sac, Placer, Yolo, etc do not have a high cost of living. When I worked Rancho/Redlands in San Bernadino County I made like 9.67 and hour doing IFT & 911, and the cost of living was probably like 25% higher than when I lived in Sacramento, yet those dudes are making loot. It is not comparable to anywhere else, and while I feel for them because they get used to that dough, there are thousands of us elsewhere working for 8-12 an hour putting up with the same bs daily, and not complaining.

I'm not really sure what the deal is up there, or if the rumors are true about the 10% cut and their potential strike. All I'm saying is they have been making out like bandits; making what we ALL should be making at a base salary for the responsibilities we undertake.

I really don't feel as bad covering for them now. People down here would kill for those wages, but we all know that it will not happen no matter what.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Still haven't heard anything :/

Trying to talk a newer employee into calling and bugging the supervisors about it but he said no lol

 

[9D4]

I really don't feel as bad covering for them now. People down here would kill for those wages, but we all know that it will not happen no matter what.

It is somewhat understandable, though. I would feel quite a bit put out if I was getting $20/ hour and then all the sudden took a 10% cut, while bonuses higher up just go higher.
I mean $20/ hr at a 40 hour work week is 40k/ year. 10% of that is 4,000 that you're not getting paid yearly, or $330 bucks a month.
That's a decent chunk of change. Especially if I got myself into bills that I no longer will be able to pay. I mean, for me that $330 a month would cover my car insurance, phone bill, and all my gas for an average month with an extra $40 left over.

So, like I said, I can see where they're coming from. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see their reasons.
Edit: Of course, I can see where you guys are saying that their wages are incredibly good and they don't have the ground to stand on, also.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Agree. I see both sides. I do feel for them for that reason, but they are like the kings of the castle, being knocked down to princes. Still better than the rest of us peasants.

I would be pissed if I was them. Unfortunately, EMS is a dog eat dog business. We aren't like the police, we aren't like the fire dept. The public doesn't care, your EMS brethren (like us) will gladly take you place during a 24 pay rate deployment to meet our own financial needs, and the company only cares about their bottom dollar. All privates companies are the same. Stuff happens.

 

[SandpitMedic]

And I don't mean to be insensitive to those who may be in a crappy predicament like this, but I'm a realist. The real world is rough sometimes.

 

[exodus]

It is somewhat understandable, though. I would feel quite a bit put out if I was getting $20/ hour and then all the sudden took a 10% cut, while bonuses higher up just go higher.
I mean $20/ hr at a 40 hour work week is 40k/ year. 10% of that is 4,000 that you're not getting paid yearly, or $330 bucks a month.
That's a decent chunk of change. Especially if I got myself into bills that I no longer will be able to pay. I mean, for me that $330 a month would cover my car insurance, phone bill, and all my gas for an average month with an extra $40 left over.

So, like I said, I can see where they're coming from. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see their reasons.
Edit: Of course, I can see where you guys are saying that their wages are incredibly good and they don't have the ground to stand on, also.

But they are still making over 1,000 more a month than me with a lower cost of living from what I am hearing. Yeah it sucks, but they really do seem to be making much more than anyone else

 

[9D4]

But they are still making over 1,000 more a month than me with a lower cost of living from what I am hearing. Yeah it sucks, but they really do seem to be making much more than anyone else

Like I said, both sides are entirely understandable.
I think a lot of them would be understandably worried about the future of their employment, also. What's to stop said higher ups from saying "I want a bigger bonus, 10% cuts again"? That would be more of my own personal fear is that this would be continuous.
However, the employees also need to realize they got a damn good thing going and they are entirely replaceable by people that will do it cheaper, which is actually kind of showing in this thread, no offense meant to anyone.
I agree wholeheartedly that they need to stop, because they honestly have a whole lot to :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: about, unless there's something besides pay.
I wad only trying to point out the other side of the spectrum.

 

[TheLocalMedic]

Granted, NorCal does have it better than some areas. But that's because we unionized and fought for every bit we have. Cost of living is also high in this area, but then again, we also have a good payor mix and run a lot of 911 and IFTs. It's a shame and entirely disrespectful that other areas are not making similar wages, but they first have to stand up, stand united and fight for themselves before we can help them raise the bar!

For anyone out there who is supposed to be headed up to Sac or other areas in Norther California, just remember that what you are doing is less about making extra cash for yourself and more about supporting a corporation who wants to scale back hard earned wages for their employees while granting larger bonuses to corporate executives. If you don't think AMR will arbitrarily cut your wages... well, they already have.

Crossing a picket line is not entirely without risk either. You will be noted, your name will be added to a list, and you will not be able find work in any union shop after that.

Want to go fire at some point in your career? Not if you cross a picket line. FD is all union, and they don't want scabs. Want to go work for a company that pays well because their union fights for them? (and yes, we do pay that union to fight) You won't be able to get that job if you cross picket lines.

I know many of you out there are not union, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't care about your brothers and sisters who are. IF AMR forces a strike, it will be because they are at fault for trying to hurt and demean their workforce. Unions don't want to bring corporations to their knees, but in an era of decreasing wages and increasing executive salaries and bonuses, we have to stand up and fight for what is right!

Stand United!

 

[DesertMedic66]

Crossing a picket line is not entirely without risk either. You will be noted, your name will be added to a list, and you will not be able find work in any union shop after that.

Want to go fire at some point in your career? Not if you cross a picket line. FD is all union, and they don't want scabs. Want to go work for a company that pays well because their union fights for them? (and yes, we do pay that union to fight) You won't be able to get that job if you cross picket lines.

Funny, I know a lot of our past employees who crossed the picket lines in LA county when they were on strike and they have been picked up by all sorts of different fire companies.

My name may get seen an heck may end up on a list. Will that prevent me from getting hired on to different places? As I have already seen, no.

Is it wrong that the company may be cutting wages? Yes it is. Is it wrong to leave an area without EMS coverage (only harming citizens that have no part in the drama)? Yes, it is very wrong. This is a main reason a lot of fire departments have contracts that say they can not strike.

I don't really want to pull out the old saying of "what if it was your family who needed help?" But it is relevant. Would I be pissed if a family member died because of no ambulances due to a strike? Heck yes.

The strike will effect operations in the area. If upper management deems that area to be a non-revenue(sp?) producing, they more than likely pull the plug on that division.

 

[epipusher]

No "list" exists. Typical union propaganda.

 

[TheLocalMedic]

Perhaps you have seen people who have crossed picket lines get fire jobs, but I also know of many who have had to move far out of the area to find any work after doing so. EMS is a small world with a long memory, and I personally wouldn't jeopardize my career by crossing the lines to hurt my brothers.

But if you feel strong anti-union sentiments and think a corporation will stay by your side when the going gets tough, that's your own prerogative.

Besides, who's to say that a full walk-off strike initiated by the workforce is going to be the primary tactic?

It is not unknown for a company to initiate a lockout during a labor dispute and bring in scabs. That's what many are afraid of. That the corporation will boot the workforce out and temporarily hire new non-union people to truly stick it to the current employees and try to starve them out.

Crossing the line in this instance isn't justifiable under the argument of going to work "for the good of the people" who wouldn't be receiving 911 services. It isn't the workforce abandoning their people, but rather the company showing disregard for the wellbeing of the community by locking out its existing workforce because they want to pay them less and hope that they can wait them out.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Cut it. This isn't a pro/anti union debate. Simply a request for info on a possible deployment. Reasons why/why not to go are not germane.

Normal is relative. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the cricket.
This is how the world works, this is how business works. As I said, I'm a realist.

So stop it. None of that union stuff matters.

 

[exodus]

Perhaps you have seen people who have crossed picket lines get fire jobs, but I also know of many who have had to move far out of the area to find any work after doing so. EMS is a small world with a long memory, and I personally wouldn't jeopardize my career by crossing the lines to hurt my brothers.

But if you feel strong anti-union sentiments and think a corporation will stay by your side when the going gets tough, that's your own prerogative.

Besides, who's to say that a full walk-off strike initiated by the workforce is going to be the primary tactic?

It is not unknown for a company to initiate a lockout during a labor dispute and bring in scabs. That's what many are afraid of. That the corporation will boot the workforce out and temporarily hire new non-union people to truly stick it to the current employees and try to starve them out.

Crossing the line in this instance isn't justifiable under the argument of going to work "for the good of the people" who wouldn't be receiving 911 services. It isn't the workforce abandoning their people, but rather the company showing disregard for the wellbeing of the community by locking out its existing workforce because they want to pay them less and hope that they can wait them out.

For a dollar or two an hour paycut...

Edit: And the union did by threatening to put in the intent to strike letter.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Date to hear if we are going up there has been pushed back to the 10th of this month. The date could be pushed back again.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Thx for the update.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Anyone with further is encouraged to reply or join and reply.