r/Firefighting • u/IronWolfBlaze • Apr 24 '25

News Winston-Salem Firefighters: Underpaid, Understaffed, and Now Losing Their Sick Time— I heard you sir, have a seat.

Winston-Salem firefighters are facing a full-scale erosion of their pay, staffing, and safety—and the city is doubling down. Here's what’s happening:

  • No step pay plan means firefighters have no guaranteed path to raises. They’re stuck in vague pay bands, creating pay compression and forcing many to leave for better-paying departments.

  • Staffing was slashed from 89 to 79 per shift, well below the 4-person-per-truck standard set by NFPA and IFSTA.

  • Safety 7 and the air supply truck were eliminated, removing key fireground safety support and equipment resupply.

  • Sick time cut in half—from 288 to 134 hours a year. First-year vacation time also slashed from 240 to 112 hours. Even senior firefighters with 20+ years lose hundreds of hours.

  • They’re paid 4–7% less than comparable departments in North Carolina despite facing more fires and longer shifts.

  • Union President Parrinello was shut down at a city council meeting while trying to speak: “I heard you, sir. Have a seat.” —Mayor Allen Joines

  • Meanwhile, Greensboro staffs 156 per shift. Winston-Salem does more with less and still gets punished for it.

  • Firefighters are taking second jobs after 24-hour shifts just to get by—this isn’t just morale. It’s a public safety issue.

Full articles here: https://archive.ph/kjuy9
https://archive.ph/7Svig

Watch the mayor shut down the Union President. https://www.youtube.com/live/fYXwPz5VwOw?si=q5WTCgW5HMCwgQSl&t=1h16m5s

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u/wessex464 Apr 24 '25

Great in theory. Of course we know that this just means the bosses can hire people who don't want to join and undercut you. It means less dues. It means less bargaining power. And it frequently means non dues paying people benefitting from negotiations and employment protections paid for by other people.

It means removing union power altogether.

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u/silly-tomato-taken Career Firefighter Apr 24 '25

I'm in a right to work state. My union is so poorly run and has no backbone. I openly bad mouth them as a member. There no member involvement because the union does nothing to get the membership engaged. If you threaten to drop the union, they just shrug at you. Leadership just doesn't care yet the same.people are voted in over and over.

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u/StPatrickStewart Apr 25 '25

Sounds like you should run for a seat.

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u/silly-tomato-taken Career Firefighter Apr 25 '25

I've considered it. I'm not very articulate.