Letters to the Editor: Some LAFD union heads ‘are giving unionism a bad name’ with huge payouts
President Freddy Escobar, center, speaks at a news conference.
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To the editor: The recent investigation into Los Angeles Fire Department union pay rates was discouraging (“A Times investigation: LAFD union head made $540,000 in a year, with huge overtime payouts,” April 30). At least we learn that top union authorities are finally putting a stop to some of it.
Prior to retiring, I was an AT&T employee of 25 years. I was a member of Communications Workers of America during my entire career and I was elected to a union executive board position for three terms prior to retiring. With all the wages and overtime, my paychecks never reached close to $100,000 per year. When union officers missed work to cover union activities, the company docked our pay on those days and the CWA reimbursed us exactly the amount we “lost” from not working — no overtime allowed.
When I read how a few of our firefighter union officers are earning over $500,000 in salary, overtime and union stipends, it angers me. I was proud to be a union man during my working career. But hearing these stories, it’s no wonder people gripe about unions being corrupt. Freddy Escobar and others are giving unionism a bad name again.
Greg Golden, Van Nuys
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To the editor: Your findings on Los Angeles firefighter pay are not a surprise to anyone who pays attention to public employee compensation. Transparent California has been raising the red flag on firefighter overtime for years. Actual data, as provided by the city and posted on our site, shows in 2023 the average total pay for a “Firefighter III” (the majority of those with firefighter in their title) was $174,912, including average overtime of $53,851.
Wouldn’t it benefit the people of Los Angeles to use that overtime pay to boost staffing and minimize having firefighters working long hours? Wouldn’t having firefighters who are not continually working long hours be the best thing for the people of L.A.? What if our government’s priority was providing residents with services, rather than providing employees with higher pay and benefits?
Todd Maddison, Oceanside
This writer is the director of research at Transparent California.
