FIREFIGHTERS NEW CONTRACT. When the contract is ratified and in effect will the Weekly show the changes, in detail, to the new contract for transparency and as community information.

I agree, Michael. Percentages mean nothing unless we have the numbers to go along with them. I have not once seen the Weekly report any solid figures of what firefighters are paid -- the scale, average pay, average overtime. Nothing. Sadly, this is incredibly weak reporting. These figures are public information. The Weekly should have those numbers in every story it writes about negotiations. That's basic journalism.

Some Numbers from city budget.
Pleasanton Budget:
Web Link

Page 64: $23,611,460 projected budget FY22/23
Page 67: 63.75 full time equivalents
Works out to $370,376 per FTE.

Police
Page 64 (split across 5 lines) $34,592,526
Page 67: 118.50 full time equivalents. no breakout of uniformed vs office headcount.
works out to $293,157 FTE.


Pensions discussed on page 8 but it's ambiguous. Looks like they're planning for using reserves to pay increased contribution requirements 2027-2030. Probably depends on Calpers adjusting their assumed rate of return.

My personal opinion is police officer is more stressful and dangerous than firefighter so total compensation should be noticeably higher. In fairness, the police likely have more admin and support staff reducing the average FTE comp.


For comparison, Dublin fire budget FY22/23 is $16,154,987, contracted out to Alameda County FD. Page G-46.
Web Link

We understand readers want more specific details on public employee compensation data in these stories on new labor contracts, and we'll work to obtain accurate information to share in future coverage of this ongoing story and others. While take-home pay is an important part of that discussion, the full picture of employee compensation (and the full, actual cost to the public agency) is more complex and harder to articulate with specificity despite some of the sourcing cited in these comments. We'll push to find the most accurate numbers to place this contract – and others, such as teachers – into better context.

Of course I would very much disagree with the notion that our initial story to break the news of a settlement to potentially end this long and tense labor dispute is "incredibly weak reporting," but I'll always respectfully review all anonymous criticism of our work.

Increase in salaries and wages here in Try Valley for firefighters I think is very much needed than making new highways and streets.
And also the public must help or do something to prevent fires like avoid traffic coz it creates too much heat, control industrial and offices air cons coz they blows heat a lot, and most largely those airplanes heats up to way more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Those things that blows heat are causing to dry up our bushes and trees. When the summer heat comes we have fires all over as what we have now fires everywhere.
And fires are drying up our water reservoirs.
The public must help.
Approve increase salaries.