New NHFD Contract to Cost City Taxpayers Tens of Millions $$$'s
/Today the New Haven Independent published my analysis of the Memorandum of Understanding the City of New Haven signed with the NHFD on July 12th. Please click the link at the bottom of the page for the full analysis.
In summary, for political expediency the City chose to engage the NHFD in contract negotiations rather than wait for a city approved operational audit of the department. The agreement maintains minimum staffing at 72 per shift, handcuffs the ability of the City to make staffing changes, and does little to address the demand for paramedic services while wasting $1 million a year on unnecessary resources. The suggestion the city could dramatically modify its ALS approach and save millions of dollars is without merit, and the proposed solutions are destined to failure. Changes to vacation scheduling, overtime hiring and acting pay will actually cost the City more, as will the newly established stipend for drivers, and grandfathering educational support for employees no longer performing paramedic duties. But, the most costly part of the agreement is rolling back the pension provisions, and spousal benefits that were agreed to in 2013. Those changes will eventually cost the city $300 million, and increase the likelihood of municipal bankruptcy.
Full, in-depth analysis is available at this link