Firefighters in Hialeah, Florida, just northwest of Miami, are voting over three days on whether to accept the city's final contract offer, in a dispute centred on pay, understaffing and retention.
Voting runs October 11, 12 and 13, one shift per day, and passage needs 51 per cent of those voting. The vote follows about two and a half months of negotiations, after the city called its offer final on September 30. The city's two-year proposal offers an 8 per cent raise in year one — plus an extra 2 per cent for paramedics, who make up about 87 per cent of staff — followed by 7 per cent in year two.
The union had sought 10, 8 and 7 per cent over three years plus 5 per cent extra for paramedics, modelled on the police deal reached in August. It says firefighters are about 26 per cent behind peer departments on pay.
The department has lost five firefighters since talks began in July, including a paramedic and hazmat technician. It started negotiations with 226 firefighters — about 74 fewer than two decades ago — while handling more than 31,000 emergencies a year. The city, for its part, cited a proposed property-tax amendment it projects could cut revenue by about $17 million in 2028 and $28 million in 2029.
