Longevity Increases Key Element of EMS Pacts

While most of the focus on the contract deal reached earlier this month between the unions representing Emergency Medical Service workers and the de Blasio administration involved added pay raises they would receive for extending their annual work schedules by 131 hours and a special mental-health-response initiative launched by the city, improvements in longevity pay are another key facet of the deal.  

In a job known for its high attrition rates, particularly among Emergency Medical Technicians with less than five years' service, the inception of new longevity differentials payable once employees complete three years of service and five years of service represented an added inducement for newer workers to stick around, with significant boosts for longer tenure a further incentive.