Hialeah cancels firefighter bargaining session; union says morale sinks even lower

Hialeah admin July 29, 2026 0 Comments

Hialeah cancels firefighter bargaining session; union says morale sinks even lower

The City of Hialeah abruptly canceled a bargaining session scheduled for Thursday with the firefighters’ union less than 24 hours before negotiations were set to begin, prompting criticism from union leaders who said the move further damaged morale within a department already struggling to retain personnel.

In an email sent to union representatives that the Miami Herald obtained, Human Resources Director Elsa Jaramillo-Velez said the city needed to postpone the meeting because “we have several conflicts, and we need to reschedule this meeting.”

Michael Bello, vice president of the union, called the last-minute cancellation “both unprofessional and unacceptable” in an email responding to Jaramillo-Velez’s notice that the meeting had been canceled.

“Canceling the meeting with less than 24 hours’ notice is both unprofessional and unacceptable, particularly given the amount of time that has already elapsed since our initial request to negotiate,” Bello wrote.

He said the cancellation sends the wrong message to firefighters who have been waiting for a new collective bargaining agreement.

“This last-minute cancellation further degrades the already low morale within the Fire Department,” Bello wrote. “It sends the message that negotiating a successor agreement and addressing the concerns of our members are not being treated with the priority they deserve.”

The cancellation came hours after the Miami Herald published a story documenting the Hialeah Fire Department’s staffing crisis. The story found the department has 226 firefighters—down from more than 300 in 2007—while responding to more than 31,000 fire and medical emergency calls each year.

The story found that chronic staffing shortages have forced the department to operate every engine, ladder truck and rescue unit with three-person crews instead of the four firefighters recommended by the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Hialeah Interim Fire Chief Humfredo “Freddy” Perez acknowledged the department operates with three-person crews, while union leaders warned the staffing model places additional strain on firefighters, increases mandatory overtime and leaves fewer personnel available during complex emergencies.

The staffing shortage has also affected the department’s ability to maintain the number of paramedics needed to provide advanced medical care. Firefighters said the department has increasingly relied on hiring Emergency Medical Technicians, who provide basic emergency care, rather than paramedics, who are trained to perform advanced life-support procedures such as administering certain medications and intubating patients. As a result, at least 30 of the department’s 226 firefighters are not certified to perform advanced life-support procedures, placing additional demands on the firefighters who are.

To keep fire trucks and rescue units staffed, the city spent approximately $7 million on firefighter overtime last year, according to public records. Meanwhile, at least 14 firefighters are preparing to leave the department, according to interviews conducted by the Herald.

Among them is Lt. Harold Estrada, who has spent more than 25 years with the Hialeah Fire Department and is preparing to leave for a similar position with the Jupiter Fire Department in Palm Beach County.

As the city and the firefighters’ union prepare to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, many firefighters say the talks represent one of the latest department’s opportunities to reverse nearly two decades of staffing losses.

Estrada said the delays have become a source of frustration for many firefighters.

“They use delay and prey as a negotiating strategy,” Estrada said. “Eventually people get tired of waiting and leave.”

The Herald requested comment from Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo regarding the canceled bargaining session. His spokesperson said the administration would not issue a statement “for this.”

The city and the union agreed to reschedule the meeting for Aug. 17.