The City of Austin and the Austin Emergency Medical Services Association (AEMSA) reached a tentative Meet and Confer Agreement Monday that will be presented to the Association for approval prior to City Council consideration in mid-September.
The City and AEMSA grew to understand and appreciate their respective priorities over the negotiation process, eventually coming to an agreement that focuses on retention that both believe will begin to address long standing critical staffing shortages.
“We have tried to balance fiscal responsibility with filling our vacancies and retaining current talent,” said the City’s lead negotiator, Sarah Griffin. “Both sides saw this as a critical focus during negotiations."
All current employees will see a pay increase of 4% or more based on position and tenure within the department. The entry level Medic salary is increased to $24.24 an hour to assist with recruitment. To help retain the most experienced employees, additional increases were added at year 23 and year 26, providing the most tenured employees with increases of 9% - 14.5% in year one of the contract.
“We have made good progress towards our stated goal of pay parity with our sister public safety agencies and look forward to continuing to improve conditions for our members and the community they serve in the future,” said AEMSA President Selena Xie.
Austin Travis County EMS Chief Rob Luckritz and AEMSA President Selena Xie agreed both parties worked together to come up with a progressive but fair agreement that will take the department into the next era of the developing emergency medical services profession.
“We are thrilled to have come to an agreement that allows the department to focus on meeting the needs for the continued growth of Austin and Travis County,” said Chief Luckritz. “This agreement also ensures we are competitive and able to recruit and retain the talent that makes Austin Travis County EMS one of the best EMS systems in the country.”
