PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Oren Barzilay, President of EMS Local 2507, on EMS Hiring and Pay Practices
1:15:08
ยท
3 min
Oren Barzilay, President of EMS Local 2507, testifies about the improper hiring process and discriminatory pay practices in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department of New York City. He criticizes the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for their role in these practices and discusses the severe understaffing and retention issues in EMS due to low salaries.
- EMS starting salaries are extremely low at $39,000 per year for EMTs and paramedics
- The current pattern bargaining system of 16% increases for all city employees regardless of base pay is widening the pay gap
- EMS is facing a significant loss of workforce, with nearly 30% of members expected to leave for better-paying positions within a year
- Barzilay mentions an ongoing federal lawsuit against the city for discriminatory pay practices in EMS
Oren Barzilay
1:15:08
Council.
1:15:08
All members, thank you for inviting me and asking me to speak today.
1:15:13
I do not have a written testimony.
1:15:15
However, I do wanna speak about the improper hiring process that is ongoing in our city.
1:15:24
I truly believe that OLR and OMB, has blood on their hand.
1:15:30
They are constantly violating federal laws by discriminatory pay practices.
1:15:38
As you know, we in EMS are extremely underpaid.
1:15:42
$39,000 a year of for EMTs and paramedics is the starting salary.
1:15:48
They are constantly violating the law.
1:15:52
They're offering what's called patent bargaining.
1:15:55
All r should be disbanded, or the people that are in there should be replaced.
1:16:01
They offer every city employee 16% increases regardless of how much you make.
1:16:07
So somebody who's making a $100,000 and getting 16% is getting a sig significant increase.
1:16:13
Some people like me and my folk folks, who are earning $39,000 a year, are also getting 16%.
1:16:22
So the gap keeps growing year after year.
1:16:25
Hence, why EMS is constantly understaffed, constantly a revolving door.
1:16:31
Nobody stays here.
1:16:34
Starting in May of this year, in 3 months from now, within a year period, I'm gonna lose almost 30% of my members as they are leaving to another department in the city.
1:16:51
The fire department is now scrambling on how to replace these people, because they are going to become firefighters, earning 6 figures compared to $39,000 here.
1:17:03
So, you know, I've been testifying about this for years.
1:17:08
We actually have a federal lawsuit ongoing with the city for discriminatory pay practice, and this will keep ongoing until they fix this pre this problem.
1:17:20
You know, the gentleman from OLLR who said that they charge unions 0.5 for equity pay, why are you charging the unions or its members for raise?
1:17:32
Where is that hurdle?
1:17:33
Anywhere else you go in the country, nobody's getting charged for a raise.
1:17:37
Every time we ask for something, it's no.
1:17:41
They gave, the the police, alarm dispatchers, the police dispatchers a $10,000 bonus incentive to keep them employed, we ask for the same thing in our contract that's ongoing now.
1:17:56
We were without a contract for 3 years, and they denied us.
1:18:00
Every time we ask for something, OLR and OMB says no.
1:18:04
I don't have much further to say other than it's a disgrace, and I'll take any questions you have.