Tuesday, January 31, 2006
“Overtime Hits City Budget Hard”
Overtime Solution is Overdue
The City’s personnel and contractual problems are no better exemplified than by the case of the fire department. In 2005, $12 million in overtime was paid to firefighters, more than half of the $21 million expended Citywide. Many firefighters made more than $100,000 with the overtime pay.
During the time leading up to the passage of the Recovery Plan and the creation of the Oversight Board, we documented the fact that Pittsburgh simply had too many employees in the fire department in comparison with cities of similar size, in the “rust belt” and in regional hub cities. Our work found that the average Pittsburgh firefighter with five years experience was paid $7,000 more than a similar firefighter in a city like Columbus or Omaha. If the City were to cut back to the level of spending at a better performing city, it could have saved tens of millions of dollars annually.
The issue with the fire department stems from contractual language that requires a minimum number of hours that stations must be staffed. So it is not so much an understaffing issue as it is a contractual issue. That’s not surprising given the City’s history with fire contracts and tradeoffs made in the name of political expediency.
When the fire contract is reopened in 2007, the insistence must be on getting shifts aligned, stations at an effective level, and a contract that repairs the City’s bank, not further fractures it. That’s why the study commissioned by the Oversight Board (ERASE study) has to be front and center with its recommendations on levels of staffing, “floating” personnel to solve the overtime issue, and changes to workweek arrangements.
The City’s personnel and contractual problems are no better exemplified than by the case of the fire department. In 2005, $12 million in overtime was paid to firefighters, more than half of the $21 million expended Citywide. Many firefighters made more than $100,000 with the overtime pay.
During the time leading up to the passage of the Recovery Plan and the creation of the Oversight Board, we documented the fact that Pittsburgh simply had too many employees in the fire department in comparison with cities of similar size, in the “rust belt” and in regional hub cities. Our work found that the average Pittsburgh firefighter with five years experience was paid $7,000 more than a similar firefighter in a city like Columbus or Omaha. If the City were to cut back to the level of spending at a better performing city, it could have saved tens of millions of dollars annually.
The issue with the fire department stems from contractual language that requires a minimum number of hours that stations must be staffed. So it is not so much an understaffing issue as it is a contractual issue. That’s not surprising given the City’s history with fire contracts and tradeoffs made in the name of political expediency.
When the fire contract is reopened in 2007, the insistence must be on getting shifts aligned, stations at an effective level, and a contract that repairs the City’s bank, not further fractures it. That’s why the study commissioned by the Oversight Board (ERASE study) has to be front and center with its recommendations on levels of staffing, “floating” personnel to solve the overtime issue, and changes to workweek arrangements.
