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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.
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.
Davidson works for American Medical Response (AMR), a private company that provides medical transportation services in communities across the country. Even as she and her co-workers are expected to battle a pandemic without precedent, they have to fight for even a minimum amount of respect from their employer.

September 27, 2012 (San Francisco, CA) -- EMS professionals employed by American Medical Response (AMR) in more than a dozen counties across the state voted decisively yesterday to join United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911.

After a year of negotiating with their employer, Rural/Metro, members of United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911 have secured a contract that improves safety conditions, increases pay, maintains benefits, protects jobs, and allows them to plan time with their families. Members voted overwhelmingly to ratify the new two year contract that must be honored even if their employer changes.

EMS professionals of Rural/Metro packed the Board of Supervisors’ chambers today in recognition of EMS week. Each year, Santa Clara County proclaims a week to recognize the importance of EMS and the life-saving professionals who make it happen. This time, workers also called on everyone to work together to move EMS forward in their county. Seventy workers were in attendance wearing buttons that read “Stop the Delay.”

Martine Bustamante, a 9-year paramedic and 30-year resident of Santa Clara County, addressed the Board.

Modesto, CA… A crowd of EMS workers held a rally calling for democracy outside a meeting Tuesday where their employer—American Medical Response (AMR)—was scheduled to appear. 60 Paramedics, EMTs, Dispatchers, and Vehicle Supply Techs from across Northern California carried signs, wore buttons, and were prepared to deliver a petition bearing several hundred signatures asking AMR to allow them to proceed with their union election for a stronger voice for EMS.

When you’re working a high-intensity job responding to crises around the clock, it helps to know your coworkers have your back.  The EMS professionals who work with Medic Ambulance in Solano County, California, saw that solidarity in action last week when they ratified a new contract with 98.6 percent support.

“I’ve been a paramedic for a long time, and this is one of the best contracts we’ve had,” says Michael Fenwick.   The contract will increase wages by 18 percent in its first year.  Wages will rise by an average of 52.5 percent during a seven-year period.

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals at First Responders EMS in Sacramento have voted overwhelmingly to move forward with United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911. Mail ballots were counted Monday at the National Labor Relations Board’s regional office with seventy-six percent voting to join United EMS Workers.

“We’re standing together because we want EMS to be seen as a real profession, not just a stepping stone,” said Crystal Forschen, a paramedic at First Responder EMS. “The way we get it done is by having a strong, democratic, and accountable union.”

Five United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911 members--all of whom work for Medic Ambulance in Solano County-- are recipients of this year’s ‘Star of Life’ Award.

The California Ambulance Association (CAA) annually recognizes paramedics and emergency medical technicians who go above and beyond the call of duty. A ceremony was held for them in Sacramento, CA to honor their heroic actions and extraordinary professional achievements.

New England EMS workers wasted no time in joining our California counterparts in becoming part of United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911 – and they did it by an even bigger margin of victory!

Coming on the heels of Wednesday’s California election, where EMS workers in more than a dozen counties voted in United EMS Workers-AFSCME with 77% of all votes cast, New England EMS stepped up Friday with a 90% victory in our election results. More than 2,300 EMS workers in two days have voted to become part of United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911.