The Post and Courier | Charleston.net | News | Charleston, SC

Charleston Fire is going through the same type of issues which are hampering the morale of the Firefighters in Roanoke. Most firefighters who bring up pay issues with me have stated that while starting pay is not the best, it is competitive with the Valley. Yet if you look at the pay of the officers and the guys who have been in the department a long time, the pay is not that great at all.

The Post and Courier | Charleston.net | News | Charleston, SC:

City fire pay in spotlight
Officials, group differ on issue of compensation

An association representing nearly half of Charleston’s firefighters says morale is suffering because of pay disparities, but its demand that the city conduct an independent salary study has been ignored by officials who say they think the firefighters are fairly compensated.

“Chief Rusty (Thomas) will say we don’t do it for the money, and he’s right,” said Roger L. Yow Sr., president of the Charleston Firefighters Association. “But morale is down in the fire department because of it.”

South Carolina law prohibits municipalities from collectively bargaining with employees, so the association has little clout with which to press its complaint about pay. Thomas made it clear Thursday how concerned he is with the association’s demands…

Yow said the department does offer competitive wages for entry-level firefighters, but he added that those who have been with the department for decades or hold higher-ranking positions should be earning more than they do now. In some cases, he said, captains are earning little more than the firefighters they supervise.

“You shouldn’t be making as much as your boss,” said Yow, a retired Charleston Fire Department captain. (Read More)