NEW ORLEANS— The New Orleans Firefighters are always there when the alarm goes off, and now the NOFD has an emergency themselves, and that’s their pay, which currently starts at around $11.29 an hour.
“I want to get paid more. I want to stay in the city. I want to be a homeowner, and I want to contribute more to the city and I can’t and it kills me,” Grant Rodriguez with the NOFD said.
These New Orleans Firefighters took their concerns to the street, marching from Station 14 to City Hall. The firefighters addressed the City Council directly about a proposed ordinance that would pay contract workers a living wage of $15 an hour. Firefighters support that ordinance, but believe they should be paid the same.
“We need them to not just support it with words, but to take action,” Aaron Mischler, President of New Orleans Firefighter’s Association said.
He went on to say, “Our jobs is inherently dangerous. We risk our live for the citizens of this city and tourists of this city. We take pride in what we do, and we want to be compensated for that.”
Firefighters say by October 1st the Civil Service Department must see how they can adjust the pay scale to $15 an hour, and then the City’s Administrative Officer must find the money to fund the increases. Firefighters say they will continue to put pressure on the Civil Service Commission to approve the pay study which shows they are far behind on the pay scale on what they should be getting paid.
