Florida public safety members enforce their contract – and win big

The paramedics, EMTs and communications specialists of Local 260 (AFSCME Florida) have once again secured a big win by upholding their contract – a victory worth more than $270,000. 

Inspired by previous contract-enforcement victories that put their hard-earned money back in their pockets, members again fought to uphold their contract through a successful grievance victory.  

When looking through their pay stubs, members found discrepancies on what they were contractually entitled to and what they received in terms of shift differential pay. They filed a grievance in July 2025 and continued to gather information, meet with University of Florida Health administrators, and review more than 22,000 pages of timesheets.  

In March, UF Health acknowledged the problem needed to be corrected and approached Local 260 to find a settlement. Ultimately, management agreed to provide three years of retroactive pay, a year longer than required, because they wanted to fully resolve the issue and avoid legal liability.  

As a result, employees will split a total of $270,684.57. 

“This was never just about winning a grievance. It was about making sure our members received the money they had already earned,” said Paul Tucker, president of Local 260 and member of the paramedic transport team. “UF Health could have limited the repayment to two years, but they agreed to go back three years. We appreciate their willingness to work with us and do the right thing for the employees.” 

Differences between what the workers were originally paid and the new calculations are different for each employee – and they are often quite stark.  

One member went from $86 to $8,892. Another went from $400 to $10,916. One even went from no compensation at all to $10,772. Some members saw their compensation amount go down, but the employer agreed to honor the original amount paid. The agreement covers not just the 79 employees in the bargaining unit, but 211 UF Health employees overall.   

For members, this grievance was about much more than the dollar amount. It was about making sure their contract was being upheld.   

“This is exactly why having a strong union and a strong grievance process matters,” said Tucker. “One of the most important lessons from this grievance is that persistence matters. The grievance was filed in July 2025, discussions continued for months, and ultimately the process produced a very significant financial recovery for our members.” 

Even after the agreement, Local 260 leadership kept reviewing calculations, addressing discrepancies, answering questions, contacting current and former employees, and working with UF Health to make sure everyone received what they were owed. 

And members are not done making sure their contract is being upheld. Tucker said while members won two grievances so far, they hope that a third grievance over issues with paid time off will be resolved soon.