Federally Mandated Minimum Wage for EMTs and Paramedics Petition

[Jane]

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe...-emergency-medical-technicians-and-paramedics

 

[EMT2015]

Just signed and shared.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Do you guys not realize that the president lacks the authority to do this?

 

[akflightmedic]

Silliness...pure and simple. As been rehashed many times over and over, here...there and everywhere.

The power to get or demand higher wages is well within our grasp. BUT.....guess what, the steps necessary will NOT benefit YOU right now. There is no short cut to success. If you care about EMS in general and the status of wages for Paramedics and EMTs, then YOU need to effect change now to include acquiring a higher education even when it is not required/enforced, encouraging others to do the same, raise the level of professionalism within our industry by only promoting those who have done this step and stomp out all the fly by night schools which thrive on quick and easy Zero to Hero in 10 weeks or your money back programs.

Yep, it means you have to be a little socialist and give when you don't have to so that others may benefit....so the question is, how bad do you want the change or was this only about yourself in the here and now?

 

[Jane]

If Obama was able to sign an Executive Order for minimum wage for contract workers (2014), why would he lack the authority to do the same for EMS workers?

 

[akflightmedic]

On February 12, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13658, “Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors,” to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for all workers on Federal construction and service contracts.

Jane...do you see any KEY WORD in the Executive Order he signed?

 

[Jane]

Silliness...pure and simple. As been rehashed many times over and over, here...there and everywhere.

The power to get or demand higher wages is well within our grasp. BUT.....guess what, the steps necessary will NOT benefit YOU right now. There is no short cut to success. If you care about EMS in general and the status of wages for Paramedics and EMTs, then YOU need to effect change now to include acquiring a higher education even when it is not required/enforced, encouraging others to do the same, raise the level of professionalism within our industry by only promoting those who have done this step and stomp out all the fly by night schools which thrive on quick and easy Zero to Hero in 10 weeks or your money back programs.

Yep, it means you have to be a little socialist and give when you don't have to so that others may benefit....so the question is, how bad do you want the change or was this only about yourself in the here and now?

I absolutely agree. I'm thankful that I went to a school who requires above the normal for class time and clinicals. I feel like I'm more prepared than some of the other schools around my area, who only require 20 patient contacts. I'm also planning on getting my A.S. in Emergency Medicine. It would be silly not to.

 

[Summit]

That is embarrassing. I won't sign it. That isn't the solution.

Higher standards and education are the path to professionalism and correspondingly higher compensation... not presidential executive orders.

 

[TransportJockey]

This petition is ********. And any one of you who thinks it will work needs to take a harder look at why we are paid so poorly compared to Healthcare professionals

 

[Chewy20]

I make plenty

 

[Tigger]

To make political change, an understanding of politics is important.

 

[Tigger]

Also, where do people come up with these numbers? There is such wage variance across the country that a minimum wage for even somewhat skilled labor just doesn't make sense. Not to mention that 20 an hour is hardly anything in many cities.

 

[joshrunkle35]

Do you guys not realize that the president lacks the authority to do this?

Most presidents in the last 50 years, including the current one, haven't had the power to make about 50% of the executive orders/actions they've made/taken, yet no one has stopped them. It was illegal for Obama to execute the American citizen al-Awlaki who had the right to a trial, but was not given one. It was illegal for Obama to stay in alibis past the 90 days afforded him in the War Powers Act. It was illegal for Obama to disregard the Supreme Court's findings in the US vs Arizona. No one has stopped him on any of those. Same with all the presidents who came before him in the last 50 years.

Anyhow, point is, presidents can do what they want, legal or not, whether they have the power to or not, because they now have so much unchecked power that it would literally take a civil war to stop them, and no one wants that. So, yes, the president (whomever that is) can surely, arbitrarily make an executive action/decision/order on something that should instead be in the hands of Congress, or better yet the States themselves, and no one will stop him/her.

EMS is hazardous. It's hazardous to our health (for example, our backs, lifting and moving patients all day), it puts us in hazardous situations, and in contact with hazardous diseases/illnesses/fluids that could also be hazardous to our families. Even though we volunteer for it, we should receive some aspect of hazard pay. We receive such little education that we don't deserve a high wage based on what we do, but we do deserve a higher wage for how, when and where we do it.

Ideally, we'd get 6-7 years of education on par with a PA or Nurse Practitioner and then prevent a massive number of people from going to the ER, and have better patient outcomes for those that do go to the ER. And in that ideal world, we'd make a similar wage to a PA or CNP.

 

[Tigger]

If EMS thinks that an executive order will help our wages, perhaps some reevaluation of our stature is important.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Most presidents in the last 50 years, including the current one, haven't had the power to make about 50% of the executive orders/actions they've made/taken, yet no one has stopped them. It was illegal for Obama to execute the American citizen al-Awlaki who had the right to a trial, but was not given one. It was illegal for Obama to stay in alibis past the 90 days afforded him in the War Powers Act. It was illegal for Obama to disregard the Supreme Court's findings in the US vs Arizona. No one has stopped him on any of those. Same with all the presidents who came before him in the last 50 years.

Anyhow, point is, presidents can do what they want, legal or not, whether they have the power to or not, because they now have so much unchecked power that it would literally take a civil war to stop them, and no one wants that. So, yes, the president (whomever that is) can surely, arbitrarily make an executive action/decision/order on something that should instead be in the hands of Congress, or better yet the States themselves, and no one will stop him/her.

Sorry, but you don't actually believe this would fly, do you? The ink wouldn't even be dry on the paper before dozens of suits were filed in federal court. The very first federal judge to hear the case would declare the executive order unconstitutional. As it should be. The fact the other abuses of power have stood doesn't justify another abuse, nor does it mean that this one would go ignored.

If all that stood in the way of fixing all of our problems was a presidential diktat, then how do we even have any problems left? Assuming the president did this, why raise the minimum wage to only $15? Why not $25/hr? Why not $50/hr? Why only for EMS workers? Why not raise EVERYONE's minimum wage to $50 an hour?

Seriously, if all it takes to raise everyone's income is a simple stroke of the president's pen - or even an act of congress, because you'd think if nothing else, raising everyone's pay would be one thing that every legislator would agree on - then why do you think it hasn't been done yet?

It's really a shame that schools don't teach civics or economics anymore.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Just substitute "ambulance" for "van" and "EMT's" for "Walmart thugs"

Just one more. This one pretty much says it all:

 

[RedAirplane]

If a service accepts Medicare, I'm sure there's a loophole where the president can order that payments not be made to services who don't pay their employees X or more.

 

[Bullets]

My agency just posted for full time EMT and Road Supervisor positions

Associates degrees required for EMTs, Bachelors for Road Sups.....Im very excited

 

[usalsfyre]

The words "petulant children" come to mind.....

 

[ERDoc]

If a service accepts Medicare, I'm sure there's a loophole where the president can order that payments not be made to services who don't pay their employees X or more.

You do realize that CMS is doing anything and everything it can to pay LESS, not more. Despite how much they try to sell it as improving care, the only thing they really give a crap about is paying less.