State employees: compensation: firefighters.

Assembly Member Flora frames a measure that embeds a formal pay-comparability framework for CAL FIRE’s rank-and-file firefighters, aligning their compensation with a defined peer group of fire departments. The core change requires unit members in CAL FIRE’s sworn bargaining unit to be paid within 15 percent of the average salary for corresponding ranks in a fixed set of 20 California departments, with the benchmark established through an annual joint survey conducted by the exclusive bargaining representative for Unit 8 and the Department of Human Resources, anchored to an agreement reached in 2017.

The measure specifies ongoing data collection: the state and the Unit 8 representative must jointly survey annually to estimate the average salaries for the 20 departments as of July 1 of the survey year, and by January 1, 2027 the department must conduct and report a cursory survey of the salaries and benefits for the chiefs in five named departments. When determining compensation for CAL FIRE uniformed classifications, the policy directs consideration of these external comparator data alongside internal comparisons within CAL FIRE. Any salary increases under these provisions would be implemented through a memorandum of understanding negotiated under the Ralph C. Dills Act, with explicit provision that if an MOU requires expenditures, funding must be approved through the Legislature and the annual Budget Act; in cases of conflict, the MOU governs unless funding is involved.

The scope is limited to rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 8, applying to CAL FIRE’s sworn workforce, and does not automatically extend to other CAL FIRE employees or additional bargaining units. The external comparator set is fixed, comprising 20 named jurisdictions, and the measurement references may hinge on whether “average salary” or “average total salary” is used, creating a definitional nuance in benchmarking. The approach emphasizes data-driven benchmarking and labor-management negotiation through existing channels, rather than direct statutory funding, leaving ultimate cost implications to future MOUs and budgeting decisions.

Implementation and oversight rely on a collaboration among CAL FIRE, the Unit 8 exclusive bargaining representative, and the Department of Human Resources, with annual benchmarking feeding into negotiated pay adjustments and subject to legislative appropriation when expenditures are required. The measure situates compensation discussions within a defined governance cycle, using a July 1 snapshot for benchmarking and a 2027 chief-level data point to inform higher-rank considerations, while preserving the standard labor-relations framework and budgetary controls that accompany the Dills Act negotiations.