NY EMTs petition for $17 per hour ‘minimum wage’

The petition was launched on the heels of N.Y.’s minimum wage increase to $15 per hour for fast food workers, which is more than what many public safety workers are paid

By EMS1 Staff

BUFFALO, N.Y. — EMS providers started an online petition calling for the minimum wage for first responders to increase to $17 an hour, WIVB reports.

This comes on the heels of paramedic’s viral Facebook post that supported New York raising minimum wage to $15 per hour, slammed complaints against fast food workers earning the same $15 per hour as him, and commended them for fighting for and winning a living wage.

The petition, organized by New York EMT Nolin Jackson, has more than 5,000 signatures. Once it reaches 7,500, he will send it to the governor and state legislature.

“In Western New York, most EMTs start around $10 and $11 an hour,” Jackson told WIVB. “As a starting EMT, I know it’s extremely difficult to make a living. You have to get as much overtime as you can. It can take time away from your family and you sometimes even have to get a second job.”

The petition includes all emergency responders, and points out that public safety professionals “frequently see the worst of humanity,” “risk their lives for strangers,” and “often work 80 to 100 hours a week to support their family.”

"The professionals in emergency services have dedicated their lives to protecting their communities often for less than $10.00 per hour,” part of the petition reads. “If unskilled laborers such as fast food workers are worth $15 per hour, surely the highly trained first responders are worth more.”

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