Birmingham police officers and firefighters say they have an emergency of their own. They say their superiors get a healthy bump up in pay, while they get nothing.
The Jefferson County Personnel Board recently released a salary survey, which comes out every five years and assigns a grade level for Birmingham city jobs. An upgrade can mean a nice pay increase, but it seems firefighters and police officers are stuck at level 17, with no increase in pay, while some of their bosses climb the ladder.
"The Jeffco Personnel Board has increased the rank of battalion chief by 10 percent and the rank of fire captain at 5 percent, leaving all the other ranks in the fire service the same place," said Steve Turner, president of the Birmingham Firefighter Association.
While firefighter Steve Terry said he doesn't begrudge anyone a raise, he and others want it to be spread around.
"As long as I've been around, a firefighter has been a 17," said Dale Wyatt, vice-president of the Birmingham Firefighter Association.
He says a battalion chief makes 60 percent more than a firefighter in the same department. But at a 17, a raise for firefighters and police officers on the front line would mean a raise for other city services classified at 17, like maintenance repair workers.
After repeated calls to the Jefferson County Personnel Board for an interview about the job classifications and pay disparity were not returned, NBC13 made a trip in person to find out what other types of jobs are also classified as a 17. Reporters were told there is no such listing and to contact the board's attorney. However, the grade classification numbers are listed on each job opening posted on the personnel board's billboard. It shows a senior water utility service worker is a 17. A painter ranks six steps higher at level 23.
According to Wyatt, police officers and firefighters in Birmingham start out at a salary around $27,500 a year.
"It's the city's responsibility to come up with adequate salary and benefits for the employees they have," Wyatt said.
Birmingham police officers held a union meeting Tuesday night.
In his state of the city speech in January, Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid called for emergency personnel to have their own grade scale, but that hasn't happened.