Agreed to both of the last couple posts. It seems to be very quiet right now on the progress front. I am curious if there will be a grassroots update soon.
I did get the FLSA pay though. it was about what we thought, 1$ p/hr of OT. Anyone else get this yet?
Has any of the 4% received the back pay yet? Curious to see if payments went out because I still have not received mine yet as they stated we should be getting paid this month.
Updates? Currently right now, the Union has entered Negotiations for the newest version of the Master Agreement. I know there’s a lot on the plate. I’ve expressed views of many to the Negotiations Team. As for Legislative, we continue lobbying on the Hill to work towards better pay, benefits and working conditions of federal employees. The fight ain’t over. Continue to write letters. Hashtagging on social media your representatives in congress gets their attention. Never stop, don’t stop.
Glad to hear it Hrryup. I will continue and encourage my folks to write to their congress people. Thank you for the update. And I agree, we need to keep the train full steam ahead.
Huge Win!!! President Biden signed H.R. 521 into Law
On June 21, 2022, 179 days ago, Randy Moore wrote he has begun working on portal to portal pay for his employees.
Please ask Randy Moore and R5 FAM Director Jaime Gamboa the status of this important work?
https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/leadership/chiefs-desk-increased-payments-firefighters-achieved
Just today I was talking to a Supt of a Hot shot crew from past…telling him that this was an instrumental implication to any retention of the Fed Wildland Firefighter of the USFS…And Just Due.
Long overdue. Please post direct contact to Chief Randy Moore.
I only hope ALL True Wildland Firefighters, past and Present rise to this call…IT IS TIME NOW to act
Just so you know you are not alone. Still have not got my first 2 checks. Same with HR open a ticket they close the ticket. I am wage grade. We are used to being forgotten until they need XXXX"on the map. I make lots of those. Love how Mr. Rhodes specifically mentioned OPM says we are identified correctly. A former CNF employee who has no dozers speaks on our behalf. Not to mention no seat at the table(which we requested). Union has also passed us by. We are the only people doing work now while the GS folks are having their holiday. Good times.
The 2022 omnibus bill for fiscal year 2023 lifted the annual pay cap for our GS12,13,14 and 15 employees for overtime hours while supporting wildand fire suppression assignments. This allows for highly paid employees to continue making overtime. This was the right thing to do since we don’t want employees working for free. The primary beneficiary of this is upper level fire management officers, line officers and natural resource staff.
Nothing can be found in the omnibus so far that was part of the tim hart act or anything beneficial for the federal wildland firefighters. Let’s hope I am wrong.
Congratulations to Randy, fire chiefs, line officers and other non firefighters for being able to keep your overtime flowing, while your rank and file missed out on the best chance for the foreseeable future to get Tim Hart Act priorities passed and on the presidents desk.
I have scoured the 4100+ page document by searching various key words and have found nothing related to salary improvement or any of the other items on our list.
Not gonna lie, I’m kind of disappointed but not discouraged. We now have 9 months to figure it out or pay the consequences. I do know that Grassroots is having a meeting on January 26th. I’m curious to see what the updates are.
Keep writing to your congresspeople everyone. Happy Holidays to all. Hope everyone is getting some down time.
Rather than whining, bitching and complaining, why don’t yall just resign and find another agency like cal fire that pays their people relatively well. Or go private sector. Or leave fire all together! No one owes you anything! You want $20 entry level GS3?
What do navy seals make?!? Look it up. It’s all about choices.
I know I’m the bad guy, but someone had to say it
I hear you brother, I enjoyed the freedom to go home every night….! Best choice I made, and it did pay the bills…!
Keep up the fight! We have a tremendous year ahead of us! If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu!
Appreciate the input slug. Hope you have a great 2023.
February 2, 2023
The Honorable Joan Mooney Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Interior
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250
The Honorable Jaelith Hall-Rivera Deputy Chief
U.S. Forest Service
201 14th St SW
Washington, DC 20227
Dear Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mooney and Deputy Chief Jaelith Hall-Rivera,
We write to request a prompt and written update on the implementation of the temporary wildland firefighter supplemental salary increase as required in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Nearly every major wildfire in the U.S. relies on a response from federal wildland firefighters and the vital services their specialized crews provide. The need for their services has only become more pronounced as we experience longer fire seasons with increased frequency and more extreme behavior. Indeed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2022 alone, there were over 66,250 wildfires that burned over 7,500,000 acres across the United States. Wildland firefighters protect our communities from property damage, mass evacuations, threats to air quality, and the tragic loss of human lives.
Our federal firefighting workforce, however, continues to be severely undercompensated for these sacrifices and their ongoing service. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden in 2021 included $600 million to boost firefighter pay and convert seasonal firefighters to permanent, year-round employees. Specifically, section 40803 of the law provides a supplemental salary increase of $20,000 per year, or 50% of base salary, for wildland firefighters employed by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior. While we welcome these overdue payments, we have received disturbing reports of unsatisfactory processing of this salary increase throughout the Forest Service and National Park Service.
Federal firefighters from our districts continue to share discrepancies between payments and what is required by statute in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
A document containing frequently asked questions, published by the Departments in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management, states, “the wildland firefighter supplemental salary increase is a new type of pay and currently there is not a specific system application to process this supplemental pay. In order to get the money to you as soon as possible we must use existing system applications to process these payments.” We seek clarification on the existing system applications and how the hourly supplement will affect Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime rates.
Federal wildland firefighters are paid significantly less than their counterparts at state and local wildland fire agencies. A recent study conducted by the Government Accountability Office found that low pay was the most commonly cited barrier to recruiting and retaining federal wildland firefighters. We must ensure that this critical workforce receives an increase to their base salaries without the potential docking of any existing overtime pay.
To better understand the implementation of the supplemental pay increase, we ask that you provide us with a written update within 30 days answering the following questions:
Are wildland firefighters indeed receiving a base salary increase (hourly supplement) or do the agencies classify the payments as a cash award, temporary compensation increase, or retention bonus?
If the hourly supplemental does count as a bonus, is the current wage augment compliant with nondiscretionary bonuses under the FLSA for non-exempt employees?
Would federal wildland firefighters be paid the same way using new system applications for this type of payment instead of the existing system applications?
We recognize that OPM, in collaboration with USFS and the Department of Interior (DOI), is in the process of establishing a new “wildland firefighter” occupational series as required under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Will salaries for firefighters classified under this new series be paid in a matter similar to the supplemental payments?
What were the barriers to creating a new system to process these payments? How can Congress help the agencies work through these barriers in the future?
Are the agencies working on a new system to pay firefighters properly instead of promptly?
Where does the Interior Business Center receive the “Overtime and Straight Time Hourly Rate and FLSA Guidance” as stated in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Firefighter Guide?
We appreciate your clarification on this important issue and look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Joe Neguse
Member of Congress
Josh Harder
Member of Congress
Jim Costa
Member of Congress
Dina Titus
Member of Congress
cc: The Honorable Kiran Ahuja, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Word is significant progress has been made on the new pay scale for federal wildland firefighters. It’s reportedly going to be good numbers. The goal is to have it in place prior to the expiration of the BIL bonus payments.
Hate to sound like a broken record but was there any word on the
Wage Grade Fire Dozer Operators?
You’re not a broken record pushin. You and your counterparts are valuable members of the federal wildland fire community. I haven’t heard any update on dozer operators however I will ask around.