Members of the Firefighters’ Union Have Long Benefited From Overtime Pay

It’s a measure of how effectively the firefighters’ union negotiates its contract.

Portland Fire truck Coats, boots and Truck 1 await the next call at Portland Fire & Rescue Station 1 (Brian Burk)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Firefighters regularly dominate the city of Portland’s list of highest-paid employees, which reflects how effectively the firefighters’ union negotiates its contract.

That contract provides numerous opportunities for additional payment above base salary—and abundant opportunities for overtime. Last year, the Portland Police Bureau’s budget was 44% larger than Portland Fire & Rescue’s but the fire bureau spent about 20% more on overtime.

Read out cover story: The Portland firefighters’ union battles to save the job of a member accused of shocking behavior.

In 2023, the city budget office flagged unmanaged overtime costs. “Over the last three fiscal years, overtime actuals were an average of $6.5 million above overtime estimates,” officials wrote, highlighting a new union contract that reduced the number of hours in the work week while increasing vacation and mandatory leave time.

Officials blamed COVID, short-staffing and other causes. But the truth is, city auditors had in 2012 called out the same issue: relentlessly high overtime costs. “While overtime and call shifts are significant categories of bureau spending, in many cases, the culture we encountered at the bureau and that was described to us did not reflect a consistent commitment to limiting their use.”

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