Hialeah agrees to 17 percent pay raise for firefighters and paramedics

Hialeah's municipal government and firefighters' union representatives reached an agreement raising firefighter and paramedic pay by 17 percent. The arrangement covers two fiscal years, from October 2026 through September 2028, and provides increases in more than one stage.

Mayor Bryan Calvo presented the agreement in Hialeah on October 29. A membership vote held in the middle of the month gave it 93 percent support; according to the mayor's announcement, the figure concerns members who participated. Both descriptions place the vote in October.

The pay structure combines two increases. The first stage, 8 percent, took effect October 1 within fiscal 2027. The remaining 7 percent will apply during fiscal 2028. The overall agreement runs through September of that year. The increases therefore do not all take effect on the same date.

As salary references, information about the agreement compares a firefighter earning about $61,000 a year with a level near $75,000. For paramedics, it gives two approximate starting points, $71,000 and about $70,000 upon joining, with each placing later income near $89,000. Calvo presented the latter figure as possible pay during the first year under the new terms.