[quote=no_such_reality]Still trotting that out CA Renter? The numbers are right in front of your own quoted site, it’s the next column that shows ACTUAL earnings.
Entries like this one are not uncommon.
Fire Department Fire Engineer Min $61,588 Max $74,464 Total 2009 Wages $104,087
17 of 26 Fire Fighter 1’s made more then their published “MAX” pay.[/quote]
This shows how little you and sdr understand about these jobs.
Firefighters have a standard work week of ~56 hours/week — and that’s what those salary tables show in the “min” and “max” columns. In the police departments I’m aware of, their standard work week is ~42 hours/week. Cops get paid somewhat more per hour than firefighters (as they should, IMHO).
The reason for the discrepancy in total earnings is entirely due to overtime. Working 70 hours/week isn’t even close to the hours these highly-paid firefighters are putting in — and not all firefighters are earning these numbers.
Like jp said, this overtime is NOT a benefit to most firefighters. It is forced overtime, and you usually find out about it at the last minute. The firefighters whose pay is bandied about on blogs and newspaper articles are the ones who spend most of their time at work, not seeing their families but for a few days per month (unlike their private sector peers, we’re talking about 24/7 absence — no dinners, or sleeping at home).
Again, if you want to do it, feel free to step up (and yes, there are departments that are hiring). If people in the private sector want to whine about their compensation, then they need to look in the mirror. They’re the ones who let the PTB brainwash them into thinking “unions are bad,” so now they reap the consequences of that philosophy. It’s not the fault of the union workers that private sector employees are underpaid or overworked, they brought that on themselves.
