Contract talks still at impasse for firefighters in Redwood City

The major point of contention is the issue of compensatory time, which is banked time off in lieu of getting paid overtime pay, a common benefit for public service workers who often have to be called in to work on off days. 

The city is claiming there’s an “overtime problem,” said Michael Elhihi, president of the Redwood City Firefighters Association, who has been sitting in on negotiations. He said it’s a matter of being understaffed. 

In a statement, a spokesperson said the city is committed to respectful and good-faith labor negotiations with all of its bargaining units.

“We can unequivocally state that we value our city employees and strive to maintain competitive wages and benefits so that we can continue to recruit and retain a well-qualified workforce to provide quality services to the community,” the city said in an emailed statement.  

Nearby organizations, such as Woodside Fire Department District and San Mateo Consolidated, have daily relief staff who step in when there are instances of sick leave or disability. In Redwood City, they operate under a different staffing model where open shifts are filled by a rotating list of mandated shifts or voluntary overtime. 

While the city budgets for 24 paramedics and 24 EMTs, Elhihi said two paramedics have been on long-term disability and another is slated to leave soon, leaving the department consistently short staffed. 

In addition to almost 700 shifts of volunteer overtime when paramedics have “raised their hand and offered their time” in the last two years, those same paramedics have worked 1,200 mandated shifts, Elhihi said. This equates to the departments around 20 paramedics giving back nine months of their time to the city. 

“There is nothing more satisfying than going to my job in Redwood City and getting on that engine and protecting that community,” Elhihi said. “That’s how all the firefighters are. And now they feel so disenfranchised by this city that it’s breaking all our hearts.” 

Elhihi said Redwood City negotiators have said it’s cheaper to pay the overtime than hire a full-time employee with benefits. He hopes they realize the impacts are graver than compensation, he added. 

“I’ve had meetings and meetings, sent email upon email, pleading with them to not treat us like statistics, pleading with them to understand that we’re not a budget item that you just see us as, or a piece on a fiscal budget,” he said.  

Working through these significant mandatory overtime shifts, firefighters are enduring strained familial relationships and depleting mental health, Elhihi said. 

“I’ve become a pseudo therapist to these individuals,” he said. “It’s very, very bad.” 

Constantly changing shifts and time away from family has caused significant stress to the paramedics, Elhihi said, to the point where many are considering leaving to other nearby organizations.

“I’ve had multiple divorces among my staff, I’ve had multiple marital issues, just yesterday, someone had to recommend a therapist for me and my spouse,” he said. “I’ve had some real mental health scares with some of our paramedics. It’s all over the staffing.” 

The city and fire department will go to mediation Aug. 19. If negotiations continue, they will go to binding arbitration, where the entities are required to adopt what the independent party determines is the most fair outcome. It was “the final hour” before arbitration during the last go-around when the city decided to make a deal with the union, Elhihi said.