April 14-20, 2024, is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and we are pleased to recognize our first responders who work in our public safety communication centers dispatching police, fire, and ambulance services to those in need.

SEIU 888 has made the passage of 9-1-1 Dispatcher Legislation a priority in Massachusetts and is working with the International to make it a legislative priority for all of SEIU’s 2 million members. On a federal level, Representatives Norma Torres (CA) & Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) reintroduced the bipartisan 9-1-1 SAVES Act to reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders in November 2023 and to date, 24 states have passed similar legislation. Representative Torres worked as a police dispatcher for 17 years.

SEIU 888 Political Director Anthony Landry said, “Both bills would elevate dispatchers to protective service workers and bring the job description up to 2024 realities. When these jobs were first created, they were considered clerical, but that is not the case anymore. Today, dispatchers are listening to audio files to triangulate gunshots to determine location and working with sophisticated technology to provide critical assistance to officers in the field.”  New technology will allow dispatchers to use “Text to Video” giving the emergency telecommunicator to view video from a caller’s phone. Because of their first-hand interaction during these critical moments, dispatchers are often called to testify in court because of what they see and hear in the line of duty.

In a recent letter sent to members of Congress urging them to pass the 9-1-1 Saves Act of 2023, International President Mary Kay Henry explained the challenges facing public safety telecommunicators saying that due to classification as non-emergency clerical workers, “they do not have access to the same resources and benefits as other first responders, leading to high rates of burnout, turnover, and understaffing.” Henry went on to emphasize that this legislation does not cost the federal government anything but would have a profound impact on public safety workers’ lives.

If you would like to send a note of support for the bill to your Senators or Representatives, you can find their contact information here.