St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and the city's fire department are heading into arbitration later this month.
Firefighters are demanding higher pay, increased staffing and have been working without a contract for months. Mayor Carter tells WCCO's Adam and Jordana he's optimistic about reaching an agreement.
“We intend to continue to invest in our fire department,” Carter said on WCCO Radio. “We intend to continue to invest in our firefighters. They've been working without a contract for far too long and I think we'll all be better off once we get this resolved through arbitration.”
A starting St. Paul firefighter makes a salary of just over $65,500, which is lower than some suburban departments.
The Saint Paul Fire Department union is calling for the investment of 18 sworn firefighters by the end of 2023. They say year to date, the department hasn’t seen any increase in sworn firefighter staffing despite surging 911 call volume.
“There has been no progress in negotiations because Mayor Carter continues to stonewall,” said Mike Smith, President of St. Paul Firefighters, Local 21 at the end of July. “We’ve had no progress because Mayor Carter would rather disregard employment labor laws and blame St. Paul Firefighters while he gambles with public safety.”
Last week, Carter took time to acknowledge a group of firefighters who turned out to picket his 2024 budget proposal leading to a tense exchange outside the city's new Highland Bridge development.
"To the firefighters in attendance today, I see you, and I am as eager as you are to resolve your contract," Carter told them. "Our city team remains willing to negotiate in good faith, and looks forward to resolving all of these issues in the coming weeks."
