Federal firefighters receive pay hike
The Omnibus Appropriations bill passed by Congress in October includes a pay raise for firefighters employed by the federal government.
Under the Federal Fire Fighters Pay Fairness proposal, federal firefighters received a nine percent pay raise and a nine percent increase in retirement benefits, effective October 1, l998. The passage of this legislation, points out the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), “culminates a decade-long effort by the IAFF to secure equitable pay and benefits for federal firefighters.”
Currently, notes the IAFF, more than 10,000 firefighters employed by the federal government earn 44 percent less than other federal employees at the same General Schedule (GS) levels.
The IAFF, which has also won a “no contracting out” pledge from the Clinton administration, “will participate in a federal task force to revise the GS classification for federal firefighters.” n
