ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington County's Board has proposed a one-time bonus for first responders amid a staffing crisis impacting police, firefighters, and paramedics.
For months, the unions representing these workers have sounded the alarm on the staffing shortage that they say puts the county's public safety in jeopardy and has resulted in member burnout.
Just this past weekend, Arlington County's Firefighters Association says their 282 uniformed members faced one of the toughest yet.
"We had 47 members unable to be home when they were supposed to be home because of mandatory overtime," the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association President, Brian Lynch told WUSA9.
In February, the Arlington Coalition of Police together with the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association urged the county board to raise real estate taxes by one cent to help retain and recruit public safety officers amid a shortage of firefighters and police officers.
Both the Arlington County Fire Department and Police Department say funds from the tax increase would have helped fix pay inequities left behind by the old "open range pay system."
"Almost half of our membership is not at the correct step on a pay scale," Lynch added.
The county board did not follow through with the unions' proposed plan, but Board Chair Libby Garvey says they were able to use one-time funds to provide first responders with a financial incentive.
"This year we did a bonus. Board members proposed $3,000 in trying to balance things out, at the end we ended up with $2,750 for all of our first responders," Garvey told WUSA9 following an event recognizing first responders.
Lynch says he is glad county officials are recognizing the need to pay first responders more but he does not believe the bonus addresses the greater pay inequity issues. "All the reality and the data would indicate that it probably is not enough. We need to show people a future here," he added.
Garvey says she believes the pay issues will be ironed out through collective bargaining which gives labor unions the right to negotiate pay, benefits and working conditions. "I've been in a place where I think we need to let collective bargaining work which is meant to keep us out of it," she said.
Lynch says the recent incentive proposal does not mean the county board cannot take additional steps to alleviate the situation they are currently dealing with. "An exhausted work force is not good for the community," he added.
Garvey says she believes Arlington County is over the worst of these staffing shortages. She says she was briefed by the Arlington County Police Chief who told her his departments have received double the amount of applications this year compared to last.
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