Paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and dispatchers in Washington County ratified their first union contract March 27.
Nearly 200 first responders employed by American Medical Response (AMR) unionized with Teamsters Local 223 in December 2023 after AMR beat out non-union incumbent MetroWest Ambulance for the contract to provide ambulance service to Washington County. Local 223 already represented AMR’s paramedics and EMTs in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.
The Washington County unit approved the new contract with 95% support. Members had rejected a previous company contract proposal with 85% voting no in December and rejected a second proposal in February by a smaller margin and authorized a strike.
Under the newly approved contract, paramedics and dispatchers get 5% raises and EMTs get 6% raises in the first year. All workers will get 3.5% raises in years two and three.
The new starting rate for EMTs is equivalent to $22.72 per hour. The base hourly rate is $19.47, but workers get overtime pay for part of their 12-hour shifts.
Workers get an additional step increase and a signing bonus: $750 for full-time and $450 for part-time.
The contract also limits the circumstances in which calls will be assigned to ambulance crews in the last 30 minutes of their shifts. That’s because when paramedics and EMTs get sent out on a call close to the end of their scheduled shifts, they often end up going home late.
Workers will also get $2 per hour premium pay for working night shift, being bilingual, or leading a basic life support unit; a $3 premium for working as part-time supervisors and crew chiefs; and $4 premium for serving as field training officers.
