39 Hollywood firefighters to receive pay increases

Thirty-nine Hollywood firefighters were notified on January 9 that they will receive pay increases. These firefighters were all promoted after April 2011 and did not get the second half of their promised ten percent pay increase when the city declared financial urgency. Now the firefighters will receive a retroactive raise that they should have received six months after their promotion. Hollywood firefighters usually receive a five percent raise when they are promoted and another five percent raise six months later. Now firefighters will receive a ten percent raise upon promotion. In 2011, Hollywood cut the pay of firefighters and police officers by 12.5 percent and other workers by 7.5 percent to deal with a budget shortfall of $38 million, according to an article by Susannah Bryan in the January 10 Sun Sentinel.