Impacts of Base Salary Definitions on Jefferson Parish Firefighters

By: Kayce Geezy

The East Bank Consolidated Fire Protection District in Jefferson Parish includes the state supplemental pay ($600/month after one year) in its definition of “Base Salary” because the parish’s own Personnel Rules

(the “Red Book,” originally from Ordinance No. 22894 as amended, e.g., Rule I, Section 2)

explicitly lists it alongside starting salary, merit raises, and longevity pay as part of the base used for calculating longevity increases (the local 5% annual bumps for early years), overtime regular rates under FLSA, and related escalations (Rule V, Section 8).

This inclusion stems largely from post-2013 compliance with the Fifth Circuit appellate ruling in Jefferson Parish Firefighters Ass’n Local 1374 v. Parish of Jefferson (117 So.3d 246), which required factoring supplemental pay into the base for state-mandated longevity calculations (at least the 2% floor under R.S. 33:1992(B)) to avoid diluting statutory minima; prompting the parish to broaden it voluntarily across the board rather than risk repeated litigation, back-pay claims, or inconsistencies with retirement system rules (R.S. 40:1666.1(D) already mandates inclusion for FRS benefits/contributions).

It also lets the parish inflate its internal figures for recruitment spin (e.g., President Sheng’s $16.97/hour effective starting rate citing supplemental + scheduled overtime) while shifting partial cost to state funds. It’s not legally wrong; state law (R.S. 33:1992(A)) only excludes supplemental from the local minimum salary floors locals must meet, allowing parishes to include it (or not) in their internal definitions.

BUT it’s problematic and arguably manipulative for advocacy: first-year firefighters get zero supplemental (eligibility after one year), so the boosted base benefits veterans disproportionately while masking the low pure local entry rate ($10.53/hour) that drives turnover; it creates a convenient shield in negotiations (“we’re already including state aid generously”) that deflects from the R.S. 33:1992 pyramid trap blocking targeted entry fixes without a $9.8M cascade; and it perpetuates a pattern where the parish credits state dollars as its own generosity while refusing structural changes.

In short, the inclusion is a calculated, post-litigation defensive choice that enhances long-term comp at low local cost but fuels the optics of underpayment at the starting level.

In short, both sides are correct in their calculations, HOWEVER, the $600 a month STATE supplmental pay does not hinder the Jefferson Parish budget as it is reimbursed to the parish government.

In my opinion, a Jefferson Parish Firefighter starting base salary, is, in fact, $10.53 an hour.

But again, what in the Severn bike lanes do I know? I’m just a girl.