VIERA, Fla. – After a year of bitter negotiations, Brevard County’s firefighters are finally getting a pay raise.
The Brevard County Commission on Tuesday approved a labor agreement with the firefighters union that will raise pay by 21% for firefighter EMTs.
Paramedics will see an 18.47% increase in pay.
The increases come after a year of gridlock and protests over pay so low that dozens of firefighters had left the department and moved to other parts of the state.
Some county fire rescue employees were making as little as $15 an hour.
[WATCH: Brevard firefighters to get raises under new agreement]
The president of the union for firefighters said there are 80 current vacancies in the agency.
News 6’s Brevard County Community Correspondent James Sparvero spoke to Mike Bramson, president of the firefighters’ union, who said the contract does not address issues with work-life balance.
“It’s bittersweet in many aspects, being that wages is just a mechanism to get what we need,” Mike Bramson said earlier this month. “The ultimate goal, here, of course, is to be able to provide the services needed by Brevard County citizens, taxpayers, visitors.”
The county is raising fire assessment fees to help pay for the pay raises.
[WATCH: Brevard County considers raising fire assessment fees]
Brevard County Firefighters Contract by Christie Zizo on Scribd