As Southern California begins to emerge from a series of deadly wildfires, firefighters are receiving public praise and recognition for their life-saving efforts.
But while the public may be in support of the Los Angeles Fire Department and other agencies, those firefighters say they remain underpaid and their stations understaffed.
LAFD employees and attorneys from Sethi, Orchid and Miner LLP gathered at Los Angeles City Hall Tuesday morning to raise public awareness of their ongoing legal battle related to those issues.
Filed nearly two years ago, the lawsuit alleges they haven’t been paid for working overtime made necessary by a lack of staffing.
“They’re recalling people and mandating that they stay for 25 and a half hours on days when there isn’t a fire, on days when it’s just because they’ve created their own emergency from understaffing,” attorney Oshea Orchid said.
Daniel Gonzalez, a firefighter-paramedic for the LAFD, added that firefighters are still “willing to go out there and do whatever it takes to protect the citizens of Los Angeles.”
“This lawsuit is simply about getting every single one of those firefighters paid properly for the time that they’re away from their families, risking their lives,” he said.
The LAFD did not immediately return a request for comment.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been criticized for allegedly cutting the LAFD budget, though raises for firefighters and equipment purchases were allocated separately. When included, the LAFD budget “actually grew by more than 7% compared to the prior fiscal year, according to the city’s financial analysts,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
