WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Wages increased for city staff earning under $20 an hour (VIDEO)

Jessie Stensland reports from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting on Apr. 19, 2022.

Oak Harbor’s paid on-call firefighters are the big winners as city officials move toward a $20-an-hour minimum wage for city employees.

They Said It

Councilmember Jim Woessner said he was initially shocked to learn that paid on-call staff was receiving minimum wage.

“We are only paying them that much to run into a burning building?” he said. “Holy cow, we need to give them some more money.

”But on further reflection, Woessner said he realized that the positions have a “quid pro quo” element in which the firefighters receive valuable training in exchange for a modest wage.

Councilmember Tara Hizon was in favor of the increases and said the fact that firefighters were being paid minimum wage has long been a source of embarrassment for her. She said a higher wage may encourage the staff to respond to more calls and so the city may need fewer paid on-call firefighters.