Mississippi Firefighters- 35 Years and no COLA

[u/946stockton]

https://www.wlox.com/2025/08/27/mississippi-fire-departments-questioning-long-term-impact-recent-changes-pers/?outputType=amp

A 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.”

[u/silly-tomato-taken]

VA is a RTW state. We have CBAs for public sector employees.

[u/schrutesanjunabeets → u/silly-tomato-taken]

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.

[u/silly-tomato-taken → u/schrutesanjunabeets]

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.

[u/schrutesanjunabeets → u/silly-tomato-taken]

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).

[u/silly-tomato-taken → u/schrutesanjunabeets]

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.

[u/schrutesanjunabeets → u/silly-tomato-taken]

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.