Maricopa Ambulance paramedics in Phoenix may picket over contract

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — More Arizona first responders aren’t happy with their employer.

The paramedics working for Maricopa Ambulance say their collective bargaining agreement expired nine months ago.

The local first responder’s union, IAFF Local I-60, says they’ve been stuck with the same contract since 2020, with basically the same wages.

Fewer hours, better pay, and better working conditions are just some of the things Maricopa Ambulance paramedics are asking for.

The union has been trying to negotiate since last December. Now, workers want to go to the picket line.

“This is white collar vs. blue collar. This is the corporate side versus the workers in the field,” said Noel Tuttle, vice president of the Local I-60, the first responder union representing nearly 300 paramedics employed by Maricopa Ambulance.

Tuttle is a paramedic himself in Glendale.

“We are surviving on wages from 2020. So during COVID and the rapid spike of inflation, our agreement is based on the economy in 2020. We do have yearly raises, but they are bone dry bare minimum,” he said.

Tuttle explained that the union’s collective bargaining agreement—a contract between an employer and union that agrees on pay and conditions—expired Dec. 31. Despite numerous requests for meetings, Tuttle says there has been little progress in reaching an updated contract.

“We have filed a charge with the (National Labor Relations Board) for failure to negotiate in good faith,” he added.

Tuttle said they want better pay; many of their members take overtime to make ends meet.

“People should be refreshed; they should be able to work a normal job, normal hours, and get paid what’s needed to provide for their family instead of working a hundred hours a week with these bare minimum standards,” Tuttle said. “A turn and burn culture, if you will.”

He believes this is impacting the way paramedics can treat patients.

“It’s important to me that my family member would be treated with care and respect and integrity and clear-headedness, right?” he said.

We reached out to Priority Ambulance and received a statement.

These first responders are scheduled to picket at the state Capitol on Sept. 26, Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 if an agreement isn’t reached.

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