No: A disingenuous attempt to circumvent state labor laws

This is an urgent appeal to the voters of California: Reject Proposition 11. I have been employed in Alameda County as a paramedic for more than 15 years. During this time, I have worked for two private ambulance companies, including American Medical Response, that were awarded the contract to provide 911 service to the citizens of one of the busiest systems in the country.

Prop. 11 is a disingenuous attempt, financed exclusively by American Medical Response, to get out of paying mandatory wages in lieu of the inevitable missed meal periods that occur during the course of a day, breaks that are required under state labor laws.

My fellow medics and I work 12hour shifts that routinely stretch into a 14-hour workday when it is necessary to “hold over” crews because of a shortage of available ambulances at any given time. There are more than 1 million people from Oakland to Fremont who count on us, sometimes on the worst day of their lives.

We respond to heart attacks, strokes, respiratory emergencies, diabetic emergencies and horrific traumatic injuries that run the gamut from shootings to car crashes. A typical day includes several ambulance calls like this, time spent at the hospitals cleaning up, typing reports for the emergency room staff, and driving in excess of 100 miles as we are moved by dispatchers to provide coverage to neighborhoods.

We take pride in a difficult job that is of vital importance to the community and gladly answer the call, whenever it comes our way.

The $22 million American Medical Response has spent to bankroll this proposition is a drop in the bucket compared with the $100 million classaction lawsuit it is facing for years of not paying its employees for these missed meal breaks.

American Medical Response would have the voters believe this is an opportunity to improve public safety by ensuring that medics are always available and never out of service on a lunch break, but this is already the case. We are frequently pulled from breaks to respond to a call, and we do so gladly.

Every day across Alameda County and beyond, medics answer the bell without hesitation. There are certainly improvements to be made to the emergency medical services system, but disguising an attempt to circumvent existing labor laws as an altruistic proposal is entirely unscrupulous. Please vote no on Prop. 11.

Zachary Ewen, a paramedic, is a member of the class-action suit.