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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52

u/extraspincycle Apr 24 '25

Sounds like you all need to band together and all go on sick leave at the same time.

-27

u/TractorDrawnAerial Apr 24 '25

That would be illegal and unethical.

2

u/just_an_ordinary_guy VFF Apr 25 '25

What's unethical is purposefully understaffing so that OT is mandatory. As far as legality, what's illegal about getting sick and using sick time?

0

u/TractorDrawnAerial Apr 25 '25

It’s called a wildcat strike, an unauthorized labor action and it’s illegal for any union. Also called blue flu. The courts have repeatedly held it as illegal regardless of type of union.

4

u/just_an_ordinary_guy VFF Apr 25 '25

IDK, if I have a sick note, then I was sick. It's not my fault that everyone else was also sick.

1

u/TractorDrawnAerial Apr 25 '25

The original comment said “band together and all go on sick leave at the same time.” That part is the issue. That’s conspiring and constitutes a labor action.

4

u/just_an_ordinary_guy VFF Apr 25 '25

Yeah, that's why people need to make sure their illegal labor actions can't be proven.