KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Salary negotiations between the Kings County Firefighters Association (KCFA) and the Kings County Board of Supervisors are officially at an impasse, according to Kings County, as the union representing the firefighters works to increase their wages.
According to the statement released by Kings County on Thursday, nearly 10 months of good-faith negotiations have resulted in no progress between the two sides. The joint Memorandum of Understanding between Kings County and the Kings County Firefighters’ Association expired June 30, 2023, and negotiations began a week prior.
Since then, Kings County’s statement says they have worked to provide firefighters with more benefits including a 1.5% pay increase, a recruitment retention bonus, and an additional half-holiday for Christmas Eve. A compensation review in December 2023 prompted a proposal of an 18% wage increase spread out of the term of the agreement, which was rejected. The County says it presented two further proposals, which the Kings County Firefighters’ Association also dismissed.
Kings County also says the Kings County Firefighters’ Association’s claim that firefighters make less than fast food workers is untrue. The annual salary of California fast-food workers making $20 per hour at 40-hours per week is $41,600: Kings County says, under the current agreement, wages for all levels of firefighter staffing range from a minimum of $54,106 to a maximum of $81,361 annually.
According to the Kings County Firefighters Local 3747, also known as the Kings County Firefighters’ Association, their members are paid $18.58 per hour.
Despite the impasse, Kings County officials say residents will continue to receive emergency services through the deliberation without interruption.
