Baltimore Fire Chief James Clack will seek pay increases next week for his top commanders, arguing that he is struggling to attract and retain leaders.
Clack said he is proposing a formula that would make pay for his eight deputy chiefs and one assistant chief 15 percent more than the pay of battalion chiefs, who are unionized. Because top commanders cannot earn overtime, some earn less than battalion chiefs, he said.
When two deputy chief positions opened recently, there were no internal applicants, forcing Clack to hire civilians. Some deputy chiefs have asked to be demoted and returned to union jobs, he said.
The total cost to increase those commanders' pay would be $63,000, which Clack said would come this year from the department's overtime funds.
"It's a tough time to try to fix this, but it has to be fixed," Clack said. "It's a small investment for something we need to address if the city wants quality people."
The proposal is expected to go before the Board of Estimates next week. Spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake supports Clack's plan.
Capt. Stephan G. Fugate, president of the Baltimore fire officers union, said the reluctance of officers to take command-level positions goes beyond the pay disparity. When he joined the Fire Department, he said, top commanders were part of the union and dropped that affiliation only in the 1980s.
"It's gone downhill from there," Fugate said. "This is a union town, and our members are used to having the safe haven of union protection."
He said the timing of asking for salary increases for top commanders "couldn't be worse," as the department struggles with deep budget cuts. Unionized firefighters are being furloughed abd will not receive raises for the second year in a row.
"If the chief is willing to do this for the deputy chiefs, when will he stand up at the Board of Estimates and say, 'My firefighters need a raise?' " asked Bob Sledgeski, president of the firefighters union, who noted that commanders receive perks such as take-home cars.
Clack said union-negotiated salaries over the past 10 years have risen faster than the salaries of commanders — an average of 3.27 percent each year compared with 1.64 percent for commanders — causing what he termed "pay compression."
According to figures provided by the city, surrounding jurisdictions appear to face a far worse problem in pay disparity. In Baltimore County, the highest-paid battalion chief makes $70,000, more than deputy chiefs at the low end of the scale. In Anne Arundel, battalion chiefs can earn up to $45,000 more. In Baltimore, no battalion chief receives a higher base salary than the lowest-paid deputy chief.
Clack said that even with a pay increase, he might not be able to attract internal candidates for jobs that require round-the-clock availability. "But I believe I can," he said.
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