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

[TransportJockey]

Wow. Just... wow. Any scabs should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm not a part of a union shop. And honestly we get treated better than the one union operation in our state. Besides why shouldi. Turn down massive amounts of overtime? I believe fire/EMS/pd should not be allowed to strike. To do so only hurts our patients in the long run.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I'm not a part of a union shop. And honestly we get treated better than the one union operation in our state. Besides why shouldi. Turn down massive amounts of overtime? I believe fire/EMS/pd should not be allowed to strike. To do so only hurts our patients in the long run.

Same with me. Non union shop who gets treated way better then the shops that are union.

I'm not gonna turn down massive OT if I don't have to (I had to this time).

Our police departments don't strike, our fire departments don't strike, but our ambulance companies do. Why should ambulance companies be able to strike (at least 911 services).

 

[CodeBru1984]

Same with me. Non union shop who gets treated way better then the shops that are union.

I'm not gonna turn down massive OT if I don't have to (I had to this time).

Our police departments don't strike, our fire departments don't strike, but our ambulance companies do. Why should ambulance companies be able to strike (at least 911 services).

We have a no strike clause in our new hire paperwork that I had to sign when I got hired.

 

[auxilio911]

SoCal operations are starting to look outside its employees to applicants on waiting lists for temporary positions......

Is it just Sac? Could it be possible it's all the operations up there?-

Your right, I've been on the AMR wait list for about 2 months, and I just got offered a temporary job for NorCal operations. She said it would be 24 hr shifts and all expenses would be paid for. Unfortunately I had to turn it down due to school and work schedule.

 

[Rano Pano]

Same with me. Non union shop who gets treated way better then the shops that are union.

I'm not gonna turn down massive OT if I don't have to (I had to this time).

Our police departments don't strike, our fire departments don't strike, but our ambulance companies do. Why should ambulance companies be able to strike (at least 911 services).

Here's how I look at it after someone explained it to me...

Private ems gets paid peanuts, and they're fighting for better pay. (in fact they're fighting to keep the pay from being cut $2, right?) They're trying to open a door that could have an effect how socal operations are run - for better or worse. If they are replaced in a heart beat what's to stop $12 dollars down here to going to $10? Like wise it could open a door for better pay for us if they are successful.

As for the they get paid better already so I don't care...... The IE and up Norths cost of living are different - believe what you may but the ie isn't more expensive

Also the PD, and FD thing is a little bit of a stretch, right? Switch the pay around, and I have no doubt they'll be making signs, and starting lines.

However you feel about it is everyone's personal choice. I just hope we are making decisions with the future of the profession in mind, and not coldness because of ones SLIGHTLY better pay.

 

[gtucker]

From what my budddy just told me there pay is great up there. Emt are make more then medics down here. There not getting a cut from their pay Amr doesn't do that. There operations generate alot of revenue and hi collection rate. They want a 38 percent raise and dependent medical coverage paid for. There past the point of better wages they are being greedy. Give them are wages from the divisons down here then they can complain about pay.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Wowza

First of all! I have worked and lived in both Sacramento, and Rancho Cucamonga/Redlands ( the I.E.)
I can assure you the cost of living is higher... Rent is higher, property value is higher, costs of utilities and services are higher. Do Craigslist search on apartments (equivalent in neighborhood/amenities) in both areas if you doubt it.
AMR EMT Basic STARTING Sacramento= $16.80
AMR EMT Basic STARTING Rancho/Redlands = $9.57
Both divisions= 12/24 hour shifts, Overtime after 8 in a day or 40 in a week.
Do the math.....

And another thing:
You're all thinking along the wrong lines.
"Scabs should be ashamed"...."why would I turn down OT"... Etc.

Listen... Fire and PD get paid the way they do for two reasons.
1. Being they are government employees.
2. Fire, at least, has the best PR in the world... We save cats, we drive big red trucks, we save lives everyday, you need us, here's a sticker and a plastic fire hat, stay in school, stay off drugs, hop on my ladder truck at the fair, here's a smoke detector, look at my Dalmatian, watch your kids around water, we have tv shows about us, we have bright yellow reflective pants, we're in comics and coloring books, etc. etc. etc. I can go all day. These guys are household heroes. Held in high esteem, and high profile.

We're not... We have the worst PR as an industry. 99% of folks not associated with healthcare have no idea that ambulance companies are even private, let alone have to take people out of hospitals to other hospitals, or back to their SNF. Only we know how garbage out wages are. We're also all a dime a dozen... If the general public was aware how little we made they'd be ashamed, they'd be worried... "You make $11.25 an hour and you're gonna stick me with that big needle?? Did you get trained for that!?!?" Etc etc. okay maybe a piss poor analogy, but you get the idea: you're responsible for all this, but make less than a guy responsible for cutting potatoes, and you work for a multi billion dollar company in a super-multi-billion dollar a year industry?? Wtf?

We've been conditioned to think this is normal, and that it is bad taste or unethical to mention it in public, or sit down and have a public discussion, or to demand better amenities and benefits. I drive an ambulance and treat patients--- and I don't have health insurance? Seriously? Top it off with you can become an effective EMT with the right attitude and in just a few months time... So "anyone" can do it (I don't personally believe that) so it's okay to be paid pennies. That still doesn't account for the risks, the exposures, placing yourself in harms way on the roadway or in that stranger's apartment, driving through red lights, and doing the actual work of transporting all the patients.

It's a broken system. It's the beat up foster child of the Fire Dept that was created for governments to save more money by contracting out and private business owners to capitalize on an absolutely necessary service. We are stuck in the middle, and it is not changing anytime soon.

Union... Non Union- whatever.... We're all using this as a stepping stone; whether you want to believe that or not is your preference. I highly doubt any of you want to be (no disrespect intended to those who are/have been) that old 25 year EMS vet, hobbling and limping around headquarters with a bad back, a big gut, and shot knees, mumbling to himself about all the bs.... He waited 25 years to get paid what he should have gotten paid 20 years ago. It seems that most of us, as I can't say definitively all of us, want to progress to something else whether it be FD, PD, RN, GOVT, MD, etc. And that is the general impression of the outlook of private EMS. Do what you were taught- do a friggin scene size up... Look around, look for clues, look at the history, look at the symptoms....

Private EMS..... Sick or not sick? You decide for yourself.

My bottom line here is that we're all in the same boat, and this is a dog-eat-dog part of the industry. If they offer me a 24hour salaried, paid trip to CA, to do my regular job... Yes I am in with no qualms. You may think I'm evil, but unfortunately for you I'm a necessary evil.

Ps. I love this work.

 

[exodus]

Also, if you want to make decent money, get your P cards..

So is it true they're asking for a raise?

 

[Amberlamps916]

First of all! I have worked and lived in both Sacramento, and Rancho Cucamonga/Redlands ( the I.E.)
I can assure you the cost of living is higher... Rent is higher, property value is higher, costs of utilities and services are higher. Do Craigslist search on apartments (equivalent in neighborhood/amenities) in both areas if you doubt it.
AMR EMT Basic STARTING Sacramento= $16.80
AMR EMT Basic STARTING Rancho/Redlands = $9.57
Both divisions= 12/24 hour shifts, Overtime after 8 in a day or 40 in a week.
Do the math.....

And another thing:
You're all thinking along the wrong lines.
"Scabs should be ashamed"...."why would I turn down OT"... Etc.

Listen... Fire and PD get paid the way they do for two reasons.
1. Being they are government employees.
2. Fire, at least, has the best PR in the world... We save cats, we drive big red trucks, we save lives everyday, you need us, here's a sticker and a plastic fire hat, stay in school, stay off drugs, hop on my ladder truck at the fair, here's a smoke detector, look at my Dalmatian, watch your kids around water, we have tv shows about us, we have bright yellow reflective pants, we're in comics and coloring books, etc. etc. etc. I can go all day. These guys are household heroes. Held in high esteem, and high profile.

We're not... We have the worst PR as an industry. 99% of folks not associated with healthcare have no idea that ambulance companies are even private, let alone have to take people out of hospitals to other hospitals, or back to their SNF. Only we know how garbage out wages are. We're also all a dime a dozen... If the general public was aware how little we made they'd be ashamed, they'd be worried... "You make $11.25 an hour and you're gonna stick me with that big needle?? Did you get trained for that!?!?" Etc etc. okay maybe a piss poor analogy, but you get the idea: you're responsible for all this, but make less than a guy responsible for cutting potatoes, and you work for a multi billion dollar company in a super-multi-billion dollar a year industry?? Wtf?

We've been conditioned to think this is normal, and that it is bad taste or unethical to mention it in public, or sit down and have a public discussion, or to demand better amenities and benefits. I drive an ambulance and treat patients--- and I don't have health insurance? Seriously? Top it off with you can become an effective EMT with the right attitude and in just a few months time... So "anyone" can do it (I don't personally believe that) so it's okay to be paid pennies. That still doesn't account for the risks, the exposures, placing yourself in harms way on the roadway or in that stranger's apartment, driving through red lights, and doing the actual work of transporting all the patients.

It's a broken system. It's the beat up foster child of the Fire Dept that was created for governments to save more money by contracting out and private business owners to capitalize on an absolutely necessary service. We are stuck in the middle, and it is not changing anytime soon.

Union... Non Union- whatever.... We're all using this as a stepping stone; whether you want to believe that or not is your preference. I highly doubt any of you want to be (no disrespect intended to those who are/have been) that old 25 year EMS vet, hobbling and limping around headquarters with a bad back, a big gut, and shot knees, mumbling to himself about all the bs.... He waited 25 years to get paid what he should have gotten paid 20 years ago. It seems that most of us, as I can't say definitively all of us, want to progress to something else whether it be FD, PD, RN, GOVT, MD, etc. And that is the general impression of the outlook of private EMS. Do what you were taught- do a friggin scene size up... Look around, look for clues, look at the history, look at the symptoms....

Private EMS..... Sick or not sick? You decide for yourself.

My bottom line here is that we're all in the same boat, and this is a dog-eat-dog part of the industry. If they offer me a 24hour salaried, paid trip to CA, to do my regular job... Yes I am in with no qualms. You may think I'm evil, but unfortunately for you I'm a necessary evil.

Ps. I love this work.

Amen

 

[SandpitMedic]

Bump.....


So? Anything new?

 

[DesertMedic66]

Last I heard we were planning on leaving sometime between Monday-Wednesday. However I had to take my name off the list so I will not be getting anymore updated information.

 

[exodus]

I'm apparently on top of the EMT list since Desert couldn't go anymore, but I haven't heard anything else yet either...

 

[SandpitMedic]

My sup told me they put two lists together, one ready to deploy and one alternate last week after another request. Then they said that corporate never got back to them as of today.

 

[gtucker]

Sup just said heard nothing yet. They did put together another team as well.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Normally they put 2 lists together. The first list is employees who will be deployed immediately. After a week of so they will send home the employees and send up the second team (so you are up there every other week), Or incase an employee has a medical issue or has to go home for some reason.

 

[unleashedfury]

Here's how I look at it after someone explained it to me...

Private ems gets paid peanuts, and they're fighting for better pay. (in fact they're fighting to keep the pay from being cut $2, right?) They're trying to open a door that could have an effect how socal operations are run - for better or worse. If they are replaced in a heart beat what's to stop $12 dollars down here to going to $10? Like wise it could open a door for better pay for us if they are successful.

As for the they get paid better already so I don't care...... The IE and up Norths cost of living are different - believe what you may but the ie isn't more expensive

Also the PD, and FD thing is a little bit of a stretch, right? Switch the pay around, and I have no doubt they'll be making signs, and starting lines.

However you feel about it is everyone's personal choice. I just hope we are making decisions with the future of the profession in mind, and not coldness because of ones SLIGHTLY better pay.

The FD and PD got good wages because they stuck together and fought for it. EMS became a private industry as investors and executives found out that billing for services IFT/911 etc. made money. And with the little investment required to start a Basic service to do transports to work your way to expand to a multimillion dollar company investors soak this stuff up.

I am a former Auto Worker, and Steelworker and with any union contract there is usually a lockout/no strike clause. where the union will not strike nor will their be a lock out with the contract.

Best of luck to the Union of NoCal. I hope you guys strike a deal soon.

 

[Norca]

Norcal EMS worker here....

I have read this thread and no one here is from our work area so I'd like to chime in if I may. This is my 2 cents and I don't speak for anyone but myself. I am an EMT in the Norcal area.also, I am writing from memory so not all my facts may be perfect. I have no affiliation with our union, in fact I hate our union right about now.

About a year and a half ago the sf Bay Area was given an ultimatum when AMR was sold to a private equity company. When these companies buy other companies they go in, gut them, show a profit then dump them. They wanted all EMTs to take a 30% pay cut or face job loss. Many employees voted and took the cut. Since then, we have been asked to take more cuts. This will continue as long as we let it, and it will happen to you soon.

First, the argument about comparing pay with other areas is a non issue. Yes, we get paid more but all pay is relative to where you live. 18$ here is the same as 9$ somewhere else if the cost of living is lower. When you say 18$ is a lot, you are comparing it to your costs where you live which is not an accurate gauge.

Why should you care about our problems here? Because they are coming for you next. There is a race to the bottom in pay and we are all targets. Their strategy is to make everyone part time. This scenario just played out in stanislaus:

Amr to fire 12 jobs. They agree to keep the positions IF the employees go part time. Now they lose their health care, overtime, any benefits like PTO, seniority, etc. now a family needs to pay from about 300$ a month to over 1200$ just for healthcare, and with far less pay. Suddenly this is not a living wage. You call that saving jobs? Any of you with families to support should start thinking right about now.

Amr would love us to fight against each other. Doesn't it make any of you angry that someone that works at a coffee shop makes more than us? Holy :censored::censored::censored::censored:, the responsibilities we carry every day and someone at hot dog on a stick makes more? You should be pissed off, and I'm baffled why I'm not hearing that.

I have no animosity about you coming in to take our jobs if we strike. Do what you have to do, I get it. But know that in the long run you are hurting yourself and your profession, and I sincerely believe that.

AMR has been sold twice in the last few years, and every time it will get gutted and gutted to maximize profits.they told us they needed to cut our wages to be competitive in its pricing and guess what? They cut wages but didn't reduce their pricing. Guess where the money went. They are showing record profits.

As far as how many this involves, I believe 1800 n. Cal employees voted, and 90+% voted yes to authorize a strike if it comes down to it. It says something when that high of a percentage agrees on anything, because they saw the damage that happened a year and a half ago, and they are ready to stand together, even 911 workers (and don't worry, there are plans to keep patients safe if they strike). They know they are next if they don't stand now.

If I think of anything else I'll come back and rant some more. You are my brothers and sisters. I hope you think about what I've said.

 

[Notascab]

Scabs!!!

Regardless of your debt or what you make you are being a lousy scab if you work in a striking area. Do what you want but remember that when YOU strike and others cross that picket line SCAB!!!

 

[TransportJockey]

Regardless of your debt or what you make you are being a lousy scab if you work in a striking area. Do what you want but remember that when YOU strike and others cross that picket line SCAB!!!

Eh not a union shop. Don't care about union politics. Striking ems personnel should be fired on the spot. As far as I'm concerned we should not be allowed to strike, just like fire and pd

 

[BusyDude]

I'm from Sac/Yolo/Placer

I'm not about to argue with anyone about whether or not striking is OK, whether or not scabbing is a sin, etc. But I'm a medic in S/Y/P and I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has (that wouldn't give the company ammo to fire me).

And a side note: I've seen "greedy" written here, and I'm just curious where that's coming from. Those of you who are chomping at the bit to come work here for the OT... shouldn't you be proud that your brothers and sisters in other areas are making a good wage? I'd be proud if YOU guys were making more! Just because I make less than the other guy, doesn't mean he's greedy for not wanting a pay cut. Plus, there's a lot more to it that just hourly pay. Obviously, I can't go into those details here. And someone threw out a number like we were asking over 30%.. That's how bargaining works; you aim high, they aim low, and you meet in the middle.