Narcisse asks what non-pay incentives can keep EMS workers
Narcisse asks what incentives beyond pay could help retain EMS workers. Miano says members deserve respect and acknowledgment, and the city can support quality-of-life efforts like providing Thanksgiving meals to EMS stations.
Later on, I'm going to ask some of the actual workers, because I want to find out what kind of incentive we can create.
And you can tell me what kind of incentive we can create.
Yes, we want the pay raise.
We want that, because people have to pay the bill.
We understand that.
New York City is very...
Very expensive to live in New York City.
We all know that, and we want our workers.
What kind of incentive in your mind that we can create, even coming from our side, to make sure we're keeping our EMS workers in place in New York City?
So I'm sorry, are we talking outside of pay?
Yes.
Okay, so outside of pay, which I think pay is first and foremost, right?
But outside of pay, I think the members who are sitting behind me and the members who are on ambulances right now, I think that they deserve respect.
They deserve to be acknowledged.
They deserve to...
be understood that when everybody else is calling for us because they need us, we're the ones that are coming.
No matter who it is, no matter where it is, no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenge to our own safety, the members that wear the EMT and the paramedic patch in the city of New York,
are truly the most selfless people that you'll ever meet.
And I think that it's time that they get the same acknowledgement that every other emergency agency gets as well.
I'm going to say that we have the holiday season coming up.
And last year, for the first time, with the work of the unions, along with former council member Brennan,
Right?
Thanksgiving dinners were provided to every single EMS station throughout the city.
I can't tell you how much of an impact that had on the membership's morale to be able to actually have turkey on Thanksgiving instead of fast food.
We don't get the opportunity to sit inside the EMS station and have a dinner.
But to be able to grab a holiday-appropriate meal and eat it while on your lap while driving as fast as you can to somebody's emergency,
Just knowing that somebody thought about them was tremendous.
And I would just ask council if we can duplicate that again this year.
If someone can help work with our unions and work with us.
and provide our members with those small, little quality of life changes that make them feel as important as everyone else.