r/Firefighting • u/946stockton • 2d ago
General Discussion Mississippi Firefighters- 35 Years and no COLA
https://www.wlox.com/2025/08/27/mississippi-fire-departments-questioning-long-term-impact-recent-changes-pers/?outputType=ampA new Mississippi law is making all new people hired on for police/fire to put in 35 years of service before they are eligible for their retirement, and no cost of living adjustment.
When a state senator was asked about how it’ll affect recruiting “They can do something else.”
Their state usually ranks at the bottom of rankings, so residents of other states near the bottom can still say, "Thank God for Mississippi.”
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
They voted for it. They can have it, just like Utah.
Maybe they'll learn one day, but probably not.
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u/Nsnfirerescue 1d ago
You mean voting anti union/labor candidates had consequences?😂
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
Shh. Nobody tell the rest of my shift.
I have a guy that's 60 that has to stay a few more years because "healthcare for my wife and I would be $20,000/year until Medicare" but will tell you that dark, dirty, socialist "single-payer healthcare is the devil!"
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u/Nsnfirerescue 1d ago
They think they are in the "Good Ol' Boys" for some reason, really showing those people they dont like! "They can work 35 years just like I did, builds character!"
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u/trapper2530 1d ago
Crazy how many super pro union guys are hard nose conservative.
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u/Nsnfirerescue 1d ago
Crazy that some of our own can’t vote in their own best interest are trusted with representing a body of their constituents. “That’s a bold strategy Cotten, let’s see how that plays out”
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u/trapper2530 1d ago
They truly dont believe the dems are the pro union party. Too many people ignore basic information. Like certain people connected with child trafficking. They flat out dont believe it or say they never heard that before. They truly think Rs are the pro union party.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
Because honestly? The national Dem party hasn't really done anything to put themselves in blue collar homes in a LONG time. It's not a secret.
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u/wimpymist 1d ago
They have done way more than Republicans dude. You might wanna look into that statement
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
You must've misunderstood my comment. I'm a pretty liberal guy, but the Democrat party has done absolutely nothing in terms of PR and advertising to bring rural and blue collar workers into their party. Offering coding classes to laid off coal workers in Appalachia? Give me a break.
I didn't mean my comment in terms of policy. Politics is a popularity contest.
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u/wimpymist 1d ago
Oh yeah, I totally agree with that. Any PR they do just gets drowned out by Republicans misinformation propaganda too. It's an uphill battle.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
Absolutely. Everyone keeps pointing back to Biden ending the railroad strike last year as proof that the Dems aren't really for labor, they just like to say it.
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u/InboxZero 1d ago
My local is going through a contract negotiation now, one of our state liaisons hooked us up with a state senator to help grease the wheels a bit and get us some traction. I got a call from our treasurer letting us know that we’d been invited to a fundraiser for the guy and got three free tickets. “You know based on his voting record he’s anti-union? I understand he might help us but watch what wagon you hitch us to.”
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u/Nsnfirerescue 1d ago
The fundraiser setting would definitely be in the back of mind if I were in your shoes honestly. No way to really know if it’s a “pay to play” quid pro quo situation there. It’s a messy world out there
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u/InboxZero 1d ago
Yup! Luckily I’m only a past e-board member and they wanted to know if I wanted to go. I said my piece (and I’m not going) and I hope they watch their asses.
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u/4Bigdaddy73 1d ago
This is what right to work looks like.
Time to UNIONIZE!!!!
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u/stonksuper 1d ago
Good thing they voted in the most union destroying person possible.
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u/TieConnect3072 Halligan and Sickle 1d ago
Like at some point maybe they deserve it a little?? But the angel on my shoulder says no, they’re just misinformed and being exploited
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u/BigTunaTim 1d ago
As a blue dot in a red state, I always try to keep in mind that in a simple majority voting system there are plenty of people who didn't want [policy/candidate] but were outvoted. They don't deserve it.
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u/wimpymist 1d ago
It doesn't help when no one votes. So even when a majority wins it's not even close to the actual majority
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u/MedicSF 1d ago
The uh NLRB is now unconstitutional so I wouldn’t put all my eggs in the union basket.
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u/4Bigdaddy73 17h ago
The Union is the ONLY basket. Or I guess you can ask nicely and see if they will at least give you cost of living allowance.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago edited 1d ago
Mississippi is a RTW state. Unionizing has no power because there are no *requirements for * CBA's.
*Edit for clarity.
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u/silly-tomato-taken Career Firefighter 1d ago
VA is a RTW state. We have CBAs for public sector employees.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago edited 1d ago
And up until 2020 it was illegal for public sector employees to bargain in the state. The major department I worked for there has failed year after year to get city council to go to collective bargaining.
I clarified my original post.
I've since moved to a blue state that my municipality values labor and I have double my salary, a significantly better retirement than VRS, and a lesser workweek. All because we have a CBA.
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u/silly-tomato-taken Career Firefighter 1d ago
My department has its own pension, not VRS. I grew up in a blue state (NY) and that state treats its employees terribly. Constantly trying to tap into the pension system. Those who worked for the state up until the late 2000s had it much better.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
Funny, I grew up in NY too and their tiered plan bullshit was not appetizing.
You're right. I'm making huge generalities, but it's pretty hard to argue that firefighters in blue states(or areas) which generally are not RTW, aren't treated much much better than their red counterparts.
The envy of all schedules? Seattle. High pay? California, Colorado, Yonkers, Seattle, blue havens in red states like Miami and Northern VA(I'm guessing where you're at).
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u/silly-tomato-taken Career Firefighter 1d ago
My union is terrible. I've asked the union president if it was possible to continue contributing to the international why leaving the local. He did not like that.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets Professional Asshole 1d ago
I don't know how your municipality is structured, but the neutered teeth of unions in RTW states exist because it may be quite simple to move back away from collective bargaining. Does it just take a simple majority from City Council to dissolve bargaining or does it have to go to the voters? If it's the former, there is a vested interest in keeping city government happy to retain that bargaining.
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u/Iamdickburns ACFD 1d ago
You'll just wind up with more guys on medical retirements. I got hired at 30, aint now way I could do this job at 65.
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u/JohnnyUtah43 1d ago
Got hired at 32. Need 32 years for full pension. Bright side is I'm in a state with 4 groups, not 3, and run the 1-1-1-5 schedule
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u/an_angry_Moose Career FF 6h ago
Best schedule in the game imo. Gives you three possible days for OT, and tons of time off whenever you need it.
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u/trapper2530 1d ago
Were forced out at 63. Can go at 55. I always say I'll see where im at financially and physically at 55. Engineer maybe I'll stay a couple more. Chief maybe I'll stay. Still crawling hallways ans throwing ladders and body is starting to go. Might be time to go.
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u/wimpymist 1d ago
My current pension is 57 I can't imagine going to 57. Luckily I work in a state where I will be able retire at 50 then get an easier job to ride out until 57
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u/Yurple_RS 1d ago edited 1d ago
Which will suck the pensions dry even faster. Their so-called "solution" to pensions running dry shouldn't be requiring people to work longer, especially in such a dangerous and physically demanding profession.
There's a ton of other things they could do like put an age cap on applicants, extend retirement cap for non-field qualified personnel, reduce the number of volunteer positions in favor of paid positions that would add more money to the pension, or even require cities to pay into the pension for every position filled by volunteers.
I'm sorry, but Republicans (especially MAGA), historically speaking, are wayyy out of touch with laborers. There's a reason they are known for busting unions up and pushing states into "right to work".
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u/mclovinal1 1d ago
Alabama firefighter here, we do often say thank God for Mississippi. I'm sorry for my brothers to the left
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u/Yurple_RS 1d ago
Lol. Sucks to suck. Maybe stop voting for the union busting, anti-worker, firefighter arresting party... aka MAGA.
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u/NarcanPusher 1d ago
Jesus, if my pension didn’t have a COLA I would have to make retired life a race between liver failure and homelessness. I put all my 401k money into appropriate index funds like a good boy and it still wouldn’t have been enough.
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u/i_ride_backwards 1d ago
Interesting position to take from State Senator Joey Fillingane who has this under issues on his campaign website: "Joey feels it is government’s primary responsibility to protect its citizens. Joey has voted in favor of support for money to help keep all of our military installations in Mississippi open and expanding"
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u/998876655433221 1d ago
I remember loving a coastal town we visited so much that I looked into moving there. Firefighters were making $14/hr and this was only four years ago. Like, how??? The houses were expensive compared to where I live and I make $120K/yr. How am I supposed to get a house making that little? It’s a shame, don’t see it changing anytime soon.
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u/946stockton 1d ago
I visited Biloxi once. I looked up their salary and it started at 36k a year and realized you’re staring at a brown murky ocean.
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u/FyrPilot86 1d ago
Someone has to be caboose of the local government pension gravy train. I am just glad it’s never been my state agency.
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u/Yurple_RS 1d ago
Maybe it's time first responders start combining their unions, separate from the local governments. My department has it's own pension system, and the city has been going after it for years.
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u/ssaint04 Vol FF/AEMT 1d ago
Mississippi Burning… soon to be more than a movie title, because they won’t have any firefighters.