ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando firefighters are fighting for higher pay, and the negotiations are nowhere near finished.

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Firefighters went back and forth with the city at a meeting Friday morning.

The room was filled to the brim and since the crowd was at capacity, the meeting was forced to move to a larger room. Many firefighters showed up that the meeting room was changed, twice.

A contract must be negotiated by the end of the month.

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City leaders and firefighters now have plans to meet every week until they can come to an agreement.

These negotiations started in April, but firefighters said things are finally starting to move.

In April, the city offered a 2% raise to the base pay scale and a 2% lump sum for firefighters who are topped out.

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Firefighters called that offer insulting and said that over time, the raises don’t add up.

“When you top out or when you move through the ranks, everyone on this page starts lapping us,” said Jason Franklin, vice chairman of the Orlando Firefighters Pension Fund. “So the people that have been here the longest, with the most knowledge skills and abilities, are not getting compensated equitably to the people that are around us.”

During Friday’s meeting, fire officials brought up the impact inflation has had on the department.

Firefighters argued they just want their pay to be fair and comparable to other Florida cities. The department asked for a 16% raise.

City leaders said their pay scale is on par with Orange County’s pay scale.

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City leaders said they don’t want negotiations to drag out until the end of the month.

Firefighters are scheduled to meet with the city again next Wednesday.

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