Alabama Firefighter Pay Parity Lawsuit Proceeding to Trial

Should firefighters be paid the same as police officers? That is the question being asked in Mobile, Alabama following a 2022 lawsuit filed by members of Mobile Fire and Rescue Department. The lawsuit alleges the city violated an Alabama state law that requires police officers and firefighters be paid the same. Pay parity between police and fire is not a new concept in Mobile. In fact, according to a Mobile Fire Rescue captain Jimmy Connick, the city’s police officers and firefighters have been paid the same for 80 years.

According to the firefighters, the city recently began providing a series of “incentives” to attract and retain new police officers. One such incentive boosts a police officer’s annual pay by $5,200 after finishing the police academy. That same incentive is not being offered to Mobile firefighters, which according to lawyers representing the firefighters violates state law.

The next step will be a bench trial before a state court judge. That trial is scheduled for June. We will be keeping a close eye on this one.

Here is more on the story from WKRG, Mobile.