Wildland firefighter pay raises could vanish without action by Congress within days
The $20,000 salary increase for wildland firefighters in the 2021 infrastructure law could be coming to an end next week if Congress doesn’t act.
The infrastructure law included $600 million to boost salaries for the nearly 11,200 wildland firefighters for two years, giving the Interior Department or Forest Service employees a raise of either $20,000 each or 50% of their base salary.
Federal wildland firefighters earn as little as $15 per hour, with entry level positions earning just less than $27,000 per year, according to Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an advocacy group. Those rates are well below those of some state employees in similar roles.
The problem is Congress provided the higher pay rate would expire with the rest of government spending, which is set for Dec. 20.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/12/11/dc/wildland-firefighter-pay-raises-could-vanish-without-action-by-congress-within-days/
= new reply since forum marked as read
