News

General Strike Interview with REMSA Organizing Committee Members

The AFSCME Organizing Committee at REMSA sat down with General Strike Radio for an interview about their union organizing campaign. Listen with the link below

AZ Paramedic: ‘We Need Leadership From the Federal Government’

My name is Michelle Prentice, and I'm a field paramedic and field training officer in Maricopa County, Arizona. Our biggest fear is running out of personal protective equipment like masks and gowns.

Desperate for Relief, Under Unprecedented Strain, FDNY EMS Continues to Serve

The breadth of the crisis that the 4,500 members of AFSCME Local 2507 (District Council 37), which represents the EMTs, paramedics and fire inspectors of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), are facing is unparalleled.

New Law Protects EMS from Assaults

NEW YORK – A two-year battle for legislation that would help stop assaults on Emergency Medical Services Paramedics and Technicians (EMS/EMT) has ended in a victory for the dedicated first responders throughout the state of New York.Attacks on EMS and EMT workers have been on the rise since EMT Teresa Soler captured national attention when she was choked and punched in the face several times after she helped a man who was drunk and walking along the Brooklyn Bridge. The man was an assistant district attorney and managed to plea bargain his way out of jail time.

EMS Workers Tackle Issue of Fatigue and High Turnover

Independence, MO — It’s clearly a problem when 20 percent of a company’s workforce vanishes within 16 months, especially when that company is a local unit of the nation’s largest private provider of emergency services.

EMT Plunges into Hudson to Save Woman

Early on the morning of July 20, as most New Yorkers were preparing to go to work, emergency medical technician and DC 37 Local 2507 member Niall O’Shaughnessy was already on the job – literally up to his neck in the treacherous, choppy waters of the Hudson River, trying to save a young woman who had thrown herself in only minutes before.

Riverside County, CA, Deal Would Improve Paramedic & EMT Pay, Patient Care

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — Paramedics and EMTs in Riverside County have reached an agreement with American Medical Response that would provide 18 percent pay increases over three and half years, protect health insurance, and perhaps most importantly, create a professional practice committee to give emergency care professionals a voice in patient care issues.

Communities Rally Around EMS Providers

Communities nationwide honored the commitment and sacrifice of emergency medical professionals last week, with many calling for the nation’s largest private EMS provider to start respecting its workforce.

Splash Medics Visit Schoolchildren to Promote Water Safety

Drowning is a leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 and with education it’s 100 percent preventable, according to Riverside County Injury Prevention Services. The Local 4911 members who respond to these tragic 911 calls recently launched Splash Medics, a nonprofit organization to promote water safety education.

EMS Dispatchers Makes a Difference

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Yolanda Matos-McClintock, an EMS dispatcher and AFSCME shop steward, comes to the rescue on a daily basis. Her story, recently featured in the Sacramento Business Journal, highlights the importance of emergency response and how being in a union provides strength.

Let's Respect Our Real Heroes

We don't need to wait for the next movie from Marvel to see a hero in action. Every day emergency professionals like dispatcher Yolanda Matos-McClintock of Sacramento come to the rescue for thousands of Americans.  Matos-McClintock was recently featured in the Sacramento Business Journal, highlighting the challenges she faces and how being in a union provides strength. Click here to read the article.