Committee approves MOU amendment to maintain added pay for fireboat supervisory 'supermates'

The Personnel and Hiring Committee on Jan. 23 approved an amendment to the memorandum of understanding that codifies additional compensation for fireboat supervisory mates, often called "supermates," after city and department presenters said the duties and risks of those roles have grown.

Paul Gerard of the CAO's employee relations division said the amendment "codifies a level of additional compensation for fireboatmates who are designated as supermates in fire stations that have fire boats." Chief Deputy Joseph Everett of LAFD described the jobs as complex and compared them to helicopter pilots, noting they "respond to various incidents, 24 7, and they're always at the beck and call of the 911 dispatch system." Committee members said they supported the change and emphasized retention.

Committee members also noted the Port of Los Angeles will fund the premium. "The Port of Los Angeles is paying for it," a staff presenter told the committee, and that point was affirmed during the discussion.

The committee called the roll and approved the amendment. No amendments to the motion were recorded during the discussion. The committee moved next to other agenda items.