About 54:55. Dep Chief of Forest Service
This is not a pay raise. This as it states is a bonus and a retention payment only. This was done before and we had to sign a contract to receive this type of bonus. Just another smoke and mirrors act to try and silence us. People will see right thru this and still leave.
Exactly, total BS the 10 percent bonus is a joke. It doesn’t factor into overtime, hazard pay or retirement. And the last time they did a 10 percent bonus the WG employees were left out.
Agree. 
. Let’s take it and keep hammering. $15 gets you to the avg cost of a fast food worker, not the skill level, physical and mental fitness level required for a federal wildland firefighter.
I do worry FS might have paused portal to portal talks/staff work with the POTUS recent comments. I don’t have any intel they did, just get a feeling, all quiet out there. Need to keep asking leadership about the status of portal to portal. Remember leadership brought up portal to portal and said we’re working on it.
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$21 an hour for entry level federal Wildland firefighter. Scale up from there.
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Create a Wildland firefighter series.
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Implement portal to portal pay nationally while on wildfire or all hazard emergency.
MHB
Why can’t they start by giving all FS employees a 10% raise, that would apply to everyone and Hpay.?
Statement from POTUS and VPOTUS shortly on wildfires.
Knowing how Gov’t works, I would hope 
this is as mentioned previously a quick and dirty something to bump up actual cash in pocket. Gov’t can’t suddenly implement a broad spectrum pay bump with all the additional policy implications all at once.
I am unfamiliar with the FS hx in this regard so those of you who are ( Desertrat, Tha_Knife, milehighbar, etc) I hope you couch your deserved pessimism with the expectation that this is just an initial step (as milehighbar did). That is more persuasive to any policymakers that might visit this sight.
(Again, HT to milehighbar… relentless 
)
It’s been a 15 year fight. For some longer. Going to take time. However that timeframe can narrow if we collectively keep them on their heels. We’re on the right side of this argument/battle, never
more so than today. I take what political and agency leaders say with a gain a salt. How you win or make progress with this fight is to collectively keep hammering. Professionally hammer. Keep them busy with media and Hill staffer inquiries. Ask questions, send an email, all social media options are on the table.
I know physical and mental wellness, rx treatments, family time, climate change are important. I would never discount these issues and the burden these issues have on many of us. These are real life. However I do think our associations and each of us should focus on. $21 Pay, firefighter Series and p to p and see where this falls out. We know what right looks like.
After watching the sound bites this morning on the news, as a former fed (both forestry tech and 081 firefighter) I thought this was simply disrespectful to the folks out there. Going from $13 an hour to $15 an hour is a complete slap in the face. It’s time to change the position description of forestry/range tech to firefighter.
Looks like the Wage Grade employees are left out on that 10% bonus?
$1,000 spot award to all temporaries.
A one time 10% bonus (I guess based on annual salary) up to the GS9. For those wondering, our GS9’s are typically Batt Chiefs.
This is a start. Not a good start, but a start.
Keep hammering.
#NotEnough
Comes down to two things. Is this enough to stop the bleed. Is this an appropriate level of pay for a Firefighter.
#NotEnough
Go back to the drawing board.
You are correct, it’s not ABSOLUTELY not enough. I do find it ironic he announced this on a day when Northern California had a very busy day. My hope is he is not doing this to shut us up.
The folks at Grassroots have really been helping in facilitating and spreading the word. Now, we have to continue the front in order to gain traction and get the BIG changes through Congress. Without getting too political, now is the time while the democrats have both houses. Unfortunately there are much more sexy if you will hot button items that will take priority of our movement. But we can still apply the pressure.
With regards to the increase in starting pay, I hope they will scale it throughout the GS levels, otherwise the entry level are going to be damn near making that much as a SFF. Hopefully they have thought that out in addition to the 10%.
Thanks for the post. Pay must be scaled.
Would not be surprised. For FS dozer operators are Wage Grade and after thoughts. Tip of the spear during covid just below aircraft. Good times.
This is still a slap in the face. $1000 for temps after taxes will only be about 750 dollars. So enough to pay just one months rent if you are lucky for a one bedroom condo. The 10% to the full time staff, will probably divided up based on 26 pay periods, like the did last time. So great, that still doesn’t even cover my cost of gas to get to a from work here in California. This is just a political thing to make the public happy, not the true men and women out on the lines.