PHOENIX — More than 100 Phoenix Fire Department captains filed legal claims against the city last week alleging that they were underpaid compared to their lesser-ranked co-workers in violation of their union contract.
The notices of claim, precursors to lawsuits, were filed individually by captains who are paramedics or have other specialty designations. They cite examples where these captains were paid less than non-specialty captains or engineers in some instances. According to the captains' claims, their wages should be higher than the people they supervise, based on memorandums of understanding with the city of Phoenix dating back to 2019.
The captains are asking for back pay, damages, and attorney fees. Combined, their claims total more than $32 million.
The captains say the errors were first discovered in July 2023.
"Immediately upon discovering the discrepancy, our clients jumped into action," the claims said. "They have made concerted efforts to rectify the error, but the City has resisted."
The notices of claim do say the city of Phoenix retroactively compensated some firefighters who were promoted to captain.
ABC15 reached out to the city manager's office and fire department seeking comment about the notices of claim. A spokesperson for the city said that due to pending legal action, they will not be able to comment.
