Jefferson Parish Firefighters and Political Leaders at Odds Over Firefighter Pay

Jefferson Parish firefighters remain optimistic that a long‑awaited pay raise is on the horizon, following what both sides describe as a constructive meeting with parish leadership this past week. However, tension remains as parish officials and union leadership disagree over firefighter pay. According to Fox 8 Live, firefighters in unincorporated areas of the county begin at a base pay of $10.53 per hour. Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng argues this underestimates a firefighter’s total hourly compensation. Sheng claims that with overtime and state supplements, starting pay is around $17 per hour.

Union officials take exception with the parish president’s calculations noting that the administration factored in 56.5 hours of pay but only accounted for a standard 48-hour workweek—skewing the average hourly wage upward artificially. While overtime clearly boosts earnings, union leaders caution that many firefighters are working significantly more hours just to make ends meet due to low pay.

Here is more on the story from Fox8Live.