Local 304 Says "Enough is Enough" as Negotiations Pass One Year Mark

Members of IAEP Local 304 Monongalia County EMS, WV are sounding the alarm as staffing levels remain stagnant, call volumes increase and provider morale hits an all-time low.

Over the past 15 months, the IAEP has been negotiating for better wages and working conditions with management of the agency.

“These men and women are not asking for millions of dollars or making unreasonable requests,” said IAEP National Director Philip Petit. “While management drags their feet and looks to save money on the provider level, our members are watching shifts go unfilled and call response times suffer. The focus needs to be on patient care and on supporting these professionals during those critical calls.”

Throughout the duration of contract negotiations, Monongalia EMS management is consistently offering cuts to the program that reduce EMS professional take-home pay. The most recent talks resulted in a management offer that was rejected by the members.

“Management’s position continues to harm the very people who respond when you call 9-1-1,” continued Petit. “After over a year at the table, management only appears to be focused on playing more games and making more proposals that will harm our members. We’re asking the public to join us in telling them, enough is enough – don’t play games with EMS.”

Monongalia EMS and the IAEP are scheduling a return to negotiations at the end of this month.

“It’s our sincere hope that we can get to a deal that supports the providers in County and also keeps the business progressing and growing as well,” said Petit. “The emergency response system only gets better when you attract the best candidates and retain the quality and experience already within the system today.”

If you would like to support Local 304 in their efforts to secure fair negotiations, you can click here to send a pre-written email to the Monongalia EMS Board of Directors telling them that enough is enough.