Calgary EMS - Work to Rule

[EMSEDU]

EMS work to rule

Paramedics will refuse overtime in lead-up to post-Stampede strike vote

Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald

Published: Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The city's paramedics will start working to rule as of Thursday and will hold a strike vote the week after the Stampede is over.

Bruce Robb, president of the paramedics' union, said his more than 400 members will start refusing overtime shifts.

"To make up for the staffing shortfall, our members are regularly working overtime on their days off," Robb said. "It's not unusual for members on their days off to be called two or three times to come into work."

The union, CUPE local 3421, also voted 99 per cent in favour of taking a strike vote. After talks with city negotiators and a mediator broke off last week, a 14-day cooling-off period began.

While the paramedics are in a position to hold a strike vote as of July 7, Robb said they will wait until after Stampede to cast their ballots.

Voting will take place the week of July 16. They would then have to give 72-hours notice before walking off the job.

The only issue in dispute is wages.

The city has offered 12 per cent over three years, while the paramedics are looking for five per cent in each of the three years, along with a one-time market adjustment of between nine and 11 per cent, depending on the job.

The premium for night shifts is also in dispute, with the city having offered a 10 cent increase to 85 cents an hour.

Paramedics, unlike police and fire, are not an essential service and can go on strike.

However, the province can determine that strike action is a threat to the health and safety of Calgarians and intervene.

The minister of employment, immigration and industry could order a disputes inquiry board, recently used with ambulance workers in Flagstaff County, who reached a deal last week.

The board, which would prevent EMS from striking, uses an independent third party to clarify issues.

The minister could also recommend the lieutenant-governor declare an emergency resolution tribunal.

An EMT makes $21.96 an hour to start, with a top wage of $26.70 an hour. The hourly wages for paramedics range from $23.74 to $30.26, while crew chiefs make $30.26 to $33.54.

[vs-eh?]

Paramedics, unlike police and fire, are not an essential service and can go on strike.

However, the province can determine that strike action is a threat to the health and safety of Calgarians and intervene.

An EMT makes $21.96 an hour to start, with a top wage of $26.70 an hour. The hourly wages for paramedics range from $23.74 to $30.26, while crew chiefs make $30.26 to $33.54.

I love when things like the first sentence are said, and then immediately followed by the next. So, they are one of the emergency services that, if they went on strike, it would be deemed a threat to the health and safety of the citizens they serve? Sounds pretty essential to me...They know that if ambulance went on strike that 911 would collapse within the hour in any major Canadian city (there are very few fire based systems compared to the US). I honestly don't know why it's so hard for people to recognize EMS as an essential service.

I say just strike, warn your friends and family, and watch it be over in an hour. The mess will only take about a day (hopefully) to clear up. It would actually be interesting if people knew that EMS was on strike and you couldn't get transported to the hospital by ambulance or receive proper pre-hospital treatment, if call volume would change during that time. Would people still call for benign complaints? Or would they only get "high priority" calls CP/SOB, cardiac arrest, major trauma, etc....I just think it would be funny seeing fire show up and be like "Here is some O2, ummmm you want us to call a taxi?" I have nothing against fire, but here they function as VERY BASIC responders very brief history, very basic interventions, and (outside of MAYBE a radial pulse) no real vitals. It would be interesting....

Pay seems on the lower end though. For comparison, PCP's start here at ~$30 an hour and ACP's around $35 an hour. Cost of living factors in but not to validate a ~50% starting wage increase. Hope you guys get everything you want.

[Just Plain Ruff]

actually it may not be over in 1 hour or one day

I remember when the Kansas city fire department went on strike and I think the walkout was many days. I cannot remember because it was so long ago.

probably not a good analogy but hey, it's only the one I remember. Might be different today but back then it took quite a while.

the people who end up losing are the citizens.

[vs-eh?]

actually it may not be over in 1 hour or one day

I remember when the Kansas city fire department went on strike and I think the walkout was many days. I cannot remember because it was so long ago.

probably not a good analogy but hey, it's only the one I remember. Might be different today but back then it took quite a while.

the people who end up losing are the citizens.

Something should be noted though...

My general understanding of US EMS systems is that (especially in a large city) there are multiple (if not quite a lot of) EMS agencies and ambulance services that can respond to a call in that given area. For example, I assume in New York that FDNY EMS is not the only service that responds to 911 calls. There are probably many EMS services that are available to respond on a normal basis, and obviously if FDNY EMS (or Kansas city FD or whatever) went on strike they could "cover them" for a period of time (perhaps days).

While I don't know much about Calgary EMS, I am going to assume they function similar to Toronto EMS. In that it is a municipal system and the sole provider of EMS to the city of Calgary. You see if Toronto EMS went on strike (serving 3-5 million people depending on the day) there would be ZERO EMS SERVICE'S within the city to respond to 911 calls. None, zip, zero. Municipal emergency services are the only ones who can legally respond to a 911 call. We can't fall back on private or hospital based services, well because, there aren't any. The only way to service 911 calls is by pulling ambulances from a neighboring municipal service which obviously could not handle the load.

Simply put, 911 would collapse very very quickly in any decent sized+ Canadian city if ambulance went on strike. Period.

[EMSEDU]

As noted, 1991 Calgary EMS went on strike and it lasted for 11 days (if I remember correctly). In place of EMS, we had bus drivers driving Dr's around to calls. Somehow, I don't think that this will please transit workers, who just finished their own strike. In addition, population in Calgary has probably come close to doubling since '91.

I do know a couple of people who have received "soft" calls from the city, inquiring if they would be willing to work casual in the event of a strike. Most of them will not cross the line against other workers, even if they are not union or calgary employees.

It's nice that CEMS is waiting until after the Stampede to take a strike vote, but work-to-rule during Stampede is going to create a huge disaster, since most of it is overtime.

Now, Calgary Fire has been requiring all applicants be a minimum of EMR for the last little while. A good number of those who started with CFD in the last year or so are actually registered EMTs. I guess we'll see what happens.

Just for a frame of reference, I know several waitresses in Calgary who make $25.00hr before tips, plus benefits. Tim Hortons is paying $17/hr these days. A decent secretary in Calgary makes $28+/hr.

[Just Plain Ruff]

To make that money being a waitress, why woudl you do anything else? Those wages are sky high.

I have a friend who is making 5 bucks an hour as a waiter and in the end, he makes about 200 a night with tips

I can remember a business dinner in New York where we had 11 people eating at Angelo and Maxies steakhouse.

The total bill was 3400.00 The waiter walked away with an 800 dollar tip for 2 and 1/2 hours work. (the total bill included 8-15 dollar alcoholic drinks)

[vs-eh?]

Now, Calgary Fire has been requiring all applicants be a minimum of EMR for the last little while. A good number of those who started with CFD in the last year or so are actually registered EMTs. I guess we'll see what happens.

While rare, there are provincially qualified PCP/ACP's that work either part time/full time fire and vice-versa. However, when working as a FF, they can only function within that scope of practice (ie, very minimal, their knowledge is by far their greatest asset). It really makes little difference, because they don't have the equipment. I HIGHLY DOUBT doctors are simply going to allow them to function as paramedics while working fire. Beside's where are they going to get the equipment or drugs they would use on an ambulance?

How are patients going to be transported? On a pumper or ladder truck? That will last long...LOL....

In the end it won't happen. But I honestly would like to see an EMS strike in a major Canadian system. Perhaps it would wake people up....

[EMSEDU]

Honestly, most EMTs I know who work for CFD are not interested in crossing over LOL! Let's not forget, however, that the city owns the ambulances, so technically that solves the transport issue. Don't forget, with the exception of 5-10 stations, EMS here are based out of fire stations. Let me rephrase, they share stations.

It will be an interesting few weeks here, that's for sure. I'm interested to see what will happen with patients being deserted at the hospital - if no-one has taken their patient by the end of their shift, as a refusal of OT are they just going to walk out?

We'll see I guess.

[Janmarie3]

Wow, what EMTs and paramedics are paid in Canada just blows me away compared to what is offered here in the States.

My friend in Calgary just told me about this strike, so I will be paying attention to the developments and outcome of it.

[Canadian Caesar]

People, people...

Remember that when comparing US and Canadian pay scales, there is both an exchange rate AND cost of living to consider. For instance, a few years ago the US dollar was worth nearly twice the Canadian dollar. And while the Canadian Dollar has nearly caught up to the US dollar, our cost of living has not dropped to match the increased value, in fact real estate in Calgary alone has nearly doubled in the last 2 years. Not to mention that the different levels can be a challenge to compare.

Why would you do anything else if you could make that money being a waitress? Simple. The same reason CEMS is fighting for higher wages... it is hard to live on that kind of money in Calgary.

I have heard some disturbing criticism of the Calgary EMS union, thought this thread has been particularly tame in that respect.

Obviously if the pay scale is this much of a concern to the union members, then there has got to be a LEGITAMATE concern somewhere.

To believe that greed is a motivation here is to believe that the majority of union members in a major ambulance service (your PEERS and fellow professionals) are greedy. Certainly possible, but I figured they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Now for my $0.02:

Besides, Fire and Police, those "essential services", get paid better in Calgary than the EMS. And they gained those wages through the arbitration forced on them by "essential service" legislation.

My guess is that the city DOES NOT want EMS to be an essential service far more than the union does, for fear that arbitration would not treat the city kindly.