2011-May-Jun.Pdf

contents MAY/JUNE 2011 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS/VOL 94. NO. 3 FEATURES ON THE COVER: IAFF Fights Back Campaign efforts begin to pay off ..................................................14 IAFF and local leaders prevail Beware of ICMA Consulting P. 26 against anti-union employer Affiliates should be wary of skewed data ........................................24 IAFF Prevails in Guardian Policy Cases General President’s Message Turning the Tide..................................................................3 International obtains justice for local leaders ..................................26 General Secretary-Treasurer’s Message We Must Protect this House.......................................................5 Letters to the Editor ....................................................6 Local Scene ..................................................................8 Always on the Frontline ............................................30 Across the IAFF ..........................................................36 Fully Involved ..............................................................42 On the Road ................................................................46 Retirees ........................................................................47 P. 12 Memphis media and politicos suit up for Fire Ops In Memoriam/Last Alarm ..........................................50 On The Cover New York City fire fighters march across the Brooklyn Bridge for a rally against fire company closures proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Federal elections result in change for Canadian government P. 34 2 May/June 2011 From the General President Turning the Tide any of you have been engaged in the pensions wouldn’t have been far behind if the closing 20 fire political and legislative battles of your bill had passed. Anti-worker lawmakers didn't companies. I was Mlives this year across the United States. stop there. They also tried to take away the proud to rally with For more than four months, the IAFF has collective bargaining rights of supervisory the members of helped our affiliates wage a war in response to employees and eliminate the ability of fire Local 94 and Local the onslaught launched by the extremists who fighters to negotiate over staffing, but the AFFI 854 on June 3 to let want to blame you for the stock market crash defeated both measures. And while lawmakers the mayor know we and revenue crunch that has hit jurisdictions did make modest workers’ comp reforms, our will not let him across the country. And they want to eliminate state association defeated attempts to remove further jeopardize your rights on the job, your right to free speech fire fighter occupational disease presumption the safety of our and right to due process in the name of “fixing language from the state workers comp statute. members or the the crisis” while they extend tax cuts to their In Oklahoma, an effort to weaken collective lives of citizens in corporate executive friends. bargaining failed. The Professional Fire Fighters New York City. Harold A. Together, we have used every means possible of Oklahoma and our affiliates there worked In New Schaitberger to fight back, and today I can proudly report tirelessly to defeat SB 826, which was an attack Hampshire, our that, while some attacks continue to be on the binding arbitration of fire fighters. members are launched our way, our efforts together are In Michigan, voters on May 3 rejected ballot working to defeat SB 3 and HB 2 to protect the paying off. initiatives in Jackson and Harper Woods that retirement security and health care of fire In Wisconsin, a circuit court judge on May would have allowed those cities to consolidate fighters and other public workers. 26 struck down the law to take away collective the jobs of fire fighters and law enforcement In Nebraska, our sisters and brothers worked bargaining rights from many public workers in by shifting to public safety officers. until the very last hour of their state's that state. That victory in the courts may be In Florida, the Florida Professional legislative session to preserve collective temporary because the legal fight is far from Firefighters foiled multiple anti-worker bargaining. The momentum of their over, but it is incredibly significant because the measures, defeating dues deduction, watering opponents was fueled by their anti-union fight in Wisconsin was our first major battle. down Governor Rick Scott’s pension reform governor, but our members worked with their Wisconsin fire fighters and paramedics are and protecting defined benefit pensions. allies to broker a compromise that -- while not also assisting efforts to recall six Republican In Tennessee, our members faced a wave of perfect — everyone agreed they could live state senators who helped Governor Scott bills that threatened their political activity. with. But they know their opponents won't Walker strip away the collective bargaining Tennessee lawmakers tried to limit payroll stand on the sidelines during the next rights of most public workers. They are doing deduction and bar unions from contributing legislative session and that more fights are on this even though the governor preserved their to political campaigns. Our sisters and the horizon. collective bargaining rights by carving them brothers succeeded this year, but the threat is We must also be wary of potential threats to out of his bill. certain to return. our sisters and brothers in Canada, where the In Alabama, a federal judge on May 20 We have proven that together we can fight Conservative Party solidified its grip on power granted the IAFF’s request for a preliminary and win. Together we can influence the in the May 2 federal elections. While the New injunction restraining the cities of Mobile and outcome of these debates in state capitals. Democratic Party, labor's traditional ally, Jacksonville from continuing to apply a law But we aren’t done yet. More fights are surpassed expectations by winning 102 seats, recently enacted in that state that violated our coming. the Conservative Party captured a majority members’ Constitutional rights once again. One of our most important battles is the government by winning 167 of 308 seats in The state statute made it illegal to arrange ongoing fight in Ohio. We have a major fight the House of Commons. This is in addition to for public employee payroll deductions for ahead there to repeal SB 5, the law supported an ongoing shift to the right in many union dues unless the labor organization does by anti-worker Governor John Kasich, who provinces and increasing anti-union rhetoric not use the dues for broadly considered wants to strip collective bargaining rights from from provincial conservative leaders. “political activity,” including mere references all public workers in the state. We are also fighting back in Washington, to candidates for state and local offices. Our members are participating in a statewide DC. On April 26, we announced a freeze on We initially filed this suit under the IAFF effort to gather signatures so SB 5 can be placed contributions from FIREPAC to federal Guardian Policy on behalf of Cullman Local on the ballot and repealed in November. candidates and federal parties, party 2644 and Decatur Local 1437. But after the This is a major undertaking. More than committees and the super PACs that support IAFF sought a preliminary injunction, the 230,000 valid signatures must be collected by them. Our enemies are trying to destroy us cities of Cullman and Decatur agreed to June 30 for the referendum to get on the ballot. with their waves of anti-union legislation in maintain dues deductions and those two cities But our sisters and brothers are mobilizing in the statehouses, but too few of our friends are were voluntarily dismissed from the court Ohio like never before because SB 5 is a standing up and fighting for us. So with the action. We know our opponents are trying to dangerous bill that eliminates the right of fire full support of our union’s Executive Board, silence the voices of our members in fighters to negotiate health and safety standards. we turned off the spigot. Alabama’s political arena, and the federal In Michigan, our members remain on high We will focus our efforts in the states, where judge’s preliminary injunction is a meaningful alert as Governor Rick Snyder seems bound many of you are fighting for your lives. step in this legal fight. and determined to saddle his cities with I know we will be able to claim even more On Memorial Day the Associated Fire Fighters emergency financial managers, who have legislative victories in the coming months as of Illinois (AFFI) celebrated a huge victory unilateral authority to abrogate contracts as we remain focused on the fights in your state when the speaker of the Illinois House they assume full control over cities. capitals. announced that he would pull the plug on In New York state and New York City, our Our work is paying off, but it is not over. legislation forcing most government workers to members are keeping a watchful eye on their Let’s keep fighting. pay significantly more for their pensions, elected officials. In the New York General following a major grassroots effort by our Assembly, lawmakers are threatening to members to derail the bill. Fire fighters weren’t further weaken pensions. In New York City, included in the measure, but an attack on their Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed International Fire Fighter 3 INTERNATIONAL Harold A. Schaitberger General

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