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Firefighters union douses volunteerism
Please let's get this out to as many folks as we can. You don't need to agree or disagree, just please read it and let's begin the discussions. Let's get ides out there about whether anything should be done about it.
I think it should be resisted at all cost, but how do volunteers take up the fight?
Firefighters union douses volunteerism
James Sherk
Heritage Foundation
October 9, 2007
You probably haven't heard that Congress is about to shut down many of America's volunteer fire departments. Not intentionally, perhaps. Yet a little-known bill advancing through Congress would do just that.
Nearly 26,000 volunteer fire departments protect tens of millions of Americans and their homes from fires. Almost three out of every four firefighters in the United States are volunteers, and smaller towns and cities call on them for protection. A town with 3,000 residents simply cannot afford the expense of hiring full-time career firefighters. They rely on volunteers.
These volunteer departments are usually anchored by a core of professional career firefighters. Often they work in another city and volunteer to protect their neighbors in their off-duty hours. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives and sacrifice their time for their communities. Who would want to shut them down?
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), that's who. The IAFF represents career firefighters. Volunteers who give their time and efforts to their communities allow many communities to do without full-time career fire departments. This means fewer jobs for career firefighters, and fewer dues-paying members in the union that represents them. So the IAFF does everything in its power to stop "two-hatters" from volunteering.
The IAFF constitution prohibits its members from belonging to a volunteer fire department. In the words of IAFF President Harold Schaitberger, the decision to volunteer is a personal choice, but "that personal choice is one that can have serious consequences under our Constitution." Union members who disobey face steep union fines that the courts will enforce. In some cities, the IAFF negotiates, on its members' behalf, contracts stating that they will lose their job if they volunteer in their off-duty hours.
The union's effort to ban volunteering is an assault on our civic fabric. Doctors who provide free care to the poor, lawyers who work pro bono for the disadvantaged, and firefighters who volunteer for their communities make America a better country.
Without career firefighters willing to give their time, many volunteer fire departments would have to close. Look at Connecticut. The IAFF negotiated "no-volunteering" clauses in the contracts of every major city there. Now many of the state's volunteer fire departments are having difficulty finding enough volunteers to protect their communities. Some cities have had to raise taxes significantly to hire career firefighters – exactly what the IAFF intended.
Enter the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would make it significantly easier for the IAFF to shut down volunteer fire departments. The bill, which passed the House and is before the Senate, has nothing to do with employer-employee cooperation. This bill requires every state and local government to collectively bargain with their police officers and firefighters, and to negotiate virtually every term and condition of employment.
Those states that have decided collective bargaining doesn't meet their needs would have to do so anyway. States that currently limit what they negotiate would have to negotiate almost everything – including "no-volunteering" clauses.
If this bill passes and forces every local government to collectively bargain with its firefighters, the IAFF's membership rolls will swell and the union will have enhanced powers to negotiate away the freedom of its members to volunteer. Many career firefighters who want to serve their community will lose the ability to do so, unless they want to lose their jobs.
Recognizing that concerns for volunteer firefighters could sink the bill, its supporters added a provision specifying that private sector collective bargaining agreements cannot prevent workers from volunteering. Since virtually every firefighter works for the government and not in the private sector, this actually does nothing to protect volunteer firefighters. But it sounds good.
Instead of adding meaningless provisions that do nothing to defend firefighters' right to volunteer, Congress should let local communities decide if collective bargaining is right for them. Many communities have decided that it is. But others, concerned about how unions would attack their volunteer firefighters, have not. Congress should not make it easier for the IAFF to punish firefighters for volunteering to protect their neighbors.
I think it should be resisted at all cost, but how do volunteers take up the fight?
Firefighters union douses volunteerism
James Sherk
Heritage Foundation
October 9, 2007
You probably haven't heard that Congress is about to shut down many of America's volunteer fire departments. Not intentionally, perhaps. Yet a little-known bill advancing through Congress would do just that.
Nearly 26,000 volunteer fire departments protect tens of millions of Americans and their homes from fires. Almost three out of every four firefighters in the United States are volunteers, and smaller towns and cities call on them for protection. A town with 3,000 residents simply cannot afford the expense of hiring full-time career firefighters. They rely on volunteers.
These volunteer departments are usually anchored by a core of professional career firefighters. Often they work in another city and volunteer to protect their neighbors in their off-duty hours. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives and sacrifice their time for their communities. Who would want to shut them down?
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), that's who. The IAFF represents career firefighters. Volunteers who give their time and efforts to their communities allow many communities to do without full-time career fire departments. This means fewer jobs for career firefighters, and fewer dues-paying members in the union that represents them. So the IAFF does everything in its power to stop "two-hatters" from volunteering.
The IAFF constitution prohibits its members from belonging to a volunteer fire department. In the words of IAFF President Harold Schaitberger, the decision to volunteer is a personal choice, but "that personal choice is one that can have serious consequences under our Constitution." Union members who disobey face steep union fines that the courts will enforce. In some cities, the IAFF negotiates, on its members' behalf, contracts stating that they will lose their job if they volunteer in their off-duty hours.
The union's effort to ban volunteering is an assault on our civic fabric. Doctors who provide free care to the poor, lawyers who work pro bono for the disadvantaged, and firefighters who volunteer for their communities make America a better country.
Without career firefighters willing to give their time, many volunteer fire departments would have to close. Look at Connecticut. The IAFF negotiated "no-volunteering" clauses in the contracts of every major city there. Now many of the state's volunteer fire departments are having difficulty finding enough volunteers to protect their communities. Some cities have had to raise taxes significantly to hire career firefighters – exactly what the IAFF intended.
Enter the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would make it significantly easier for the IAFF to shut down volunteer fire departments. The bill, which passed the House and is before the Senate, has nothing to do with employer-employee cooperation. This bill requires every state and local government to collectively bargain with their police officers and firefighters, and to negotiate virtually every term and condition of employment.
Those states that have decided collective bargaining doesn't meet their needs would have to do so anyway. States that currently limit what they negotiate would have to negotiate almost everything – including "no-volunteering" clauses.
If this bill passes and forces every local government to collectively bargain with its firefighters, the IAFF's membership rolls will swell and the union will have enhanced powers to negotiate away the freedom of its members to volunteer. Many career firefighters who want to serve their community will lose the ability to do so, unless they want to lose their jobs.
Recognizing that concerns for volunteer firefighters could sink the bill, its supporters added a provision specifying that private sector collective bargaining agreements cannot prevent workers from volunteering. Since virtually every firefighter works for the government and not in the private sector, this actually does nothing to protect volunteer firefighters. But it sounds good.
Instead of adding meaningless provisions that do nothing to defend firefighters' right to volunteer, Congress should let local communities decide if collective bargaining is right for them. Many communities have decided that it is. But others, concerned about how unions would attack their volunteer firefighters, have not. Congress should not make it easier for the IAFF to punish firefighters for volunteering to protect their neighbors.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Tibbitt on
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That is one reason why I won't jon the union. I use to work for Phelp Dodge and had join the union and in 1983 when we went on strike the union was not there to help us out, they had gotten to big and forgot about the people that made them what they where. When I was approach to join the the IAFF a few years ago, I told them no thanks, I was told that I had to , no if and or buts, still to this day I do not belong to a union, not that I don't think they are worth it but jst dont what someone to tell me what I can and can't do, WE STILL LIVE IN AMERICA.
If people would stop and look, alot of career firefighters started in small volunteer fire dept, so Let write congress and let them know how we feel, then turn around and drop your membership with IAFF, that should let then know how big they are. I have been in the voluteer fire dept in my community for 15 years and a career firefighter for 8 years, the vol. dept is what shaped me for a career in a full time job in fire.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Seems to me that this really only applies to two situations:
- volunteer departments having members who are career FFs in other jurisdictions would suffer because these vollies can no longer do so per IAFF rules.
- municipalities with paid, non-union FFs would be required to "bargain" with their employees. I'm not up on unionspeak but does this mean that the paid staff will join the IAFF?
I can see the IAFF prohibiting its members from volunteering. I don't agree with that position, but I can understand it and appreciate it. With this rule, volunteer departments having x per cent career firefighters volunteering there would suffer because it would lose the x percent.
I think the writer of the article has a fairly narrow view of the fire service. I personally can't see where 100% volunteer companies would be affected by this bill, other than any members employed elsewhere as career FFs would be compelled to quit. In our county and surrounding counties I can't imagine more than 1% of the vols are career people in the big cities.
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Permalink Reply by Joel C Kelley on
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I tend to agree with your assessment of the writer's view, although this article hit home for me in two ways: First, I remember the IAFF Chapter in New Mexico when I first started out a a Vol. was adamantly opposed to any Vol. Dept even offering Mutual aid in ther jurisdiction, and second, I am now a Vol. in a county that is heavily union. This shows every time the career guys go on a call, and leave the Vol.s rolling their hose afterward. I'm nobody's hose rollin' whore, and I don't think any Vol. FF or dept. should suffer the indignity of an IAFF department running them down.
I have posted in other discussions that I think the reason the Vol. Companies in this County are stuck in the pre-SCBA stone age is because the union wants it that way, and I want to see how folks feel about this article in general, hopefully to generate some debate.
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Permalink Reply by firefighter444 on
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I was in a union once and all it got me was on the unemployment line, i will NEVER again join a union, how can they justify you making someones house payment all the while you are asking tem for help and they just keep telling you to waite for contract time. NEVER AGAIN...................
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For the sake of this discussion, it might be beneficial to know where every one stands. I f you post, would you kindly tell us wether you are Volunteer or paid and if paid, union or non-union? I am not collecting statistics, but it would help us all to know if for example, a union FF was against this piece of legislation, or if a volunteer was in favor.
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"For the sake of this discussion, it might be beneficial to know where every one stands. I f you post, would you kindly tell us wether you are Volunteer or paid and if paid, union or non-union? I am not collecting statistics, but it would help us all to know if for example, a union FF was against this piece of legislation, or if a volunteer was in favor."
It would also help if each person stated if their dept was combination, paid on call or all volunteer.
To start out I am a volunteer with a 100% vol dept. for 25 years.
Joel, you made the comment about the union wanting the vol companies to be stuck in the pre-SCBA stone age. Why is this so? Is it a combination dept or what? If all volunteer I would look toward the leadership as a source of inaction. Not to cast blame or criticism, just discussing...
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Permalink Reply by nita on
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Ok....I wrote a really well thought out reply.....and it dissappeared...so if I have 2 here you'll know why.
I live in Louisiana, a right-to-work state. I work for a fully paid dept. who operates fire protection for a city of about 25,000 and an ambulance service for the whole parish (approx. 500 sq. miles)
The fire protection for the rest of the parish is provided by a combination dept. that started out as volunteer years ago. We have mutual aid agreements and a joint training facility. A few of our members volunteer for that dept. also.
We are IAFF and I am an officer of our local. We don't get into people's personal business...about volunteering or not. I choose not to volunteer but I don't give anyone grief if they choose to.
I would like to explain the way I understand the Employee/Employer Cooperation act. I don't think it has anything to do with volunteer depts. The way I understand it...is.....
In a state like Louisiana where we have no right to sit down at the table with our city's administration and bargain for better pay,benefits safety etc...It would be a beginning.
Right now...we aren't even recognized as a union...and they don't have to.
For years our entry level FF pay has been $5.15 per hour. It's only been raised a few times here latley because minimum wage has increased. So now we make a whoping $7.15. The only benefits we do have....have been a direct result of the IAFF and the Professional FF's of Louisiana's lobbying.
I don't think volunteer depts. are secretly being conspired against. Both paid and volunteer depts. have their place no matter what we feel about each other. There are small towns that can't afford paid fire protection and the IAFF knows that.
I think this is an issue for paid depts. not volunteer organizations.
I support this legislation. I would be stupid not to in Ruston, Louisiana...where we have no say.
We don't want to force or strong arm the city to do anything inappropriate. We want the opposite. We want to sit down and teach them more about our jobs and what we need from them. We also want them to teach us where they think we fit in...in the grand scheme of running this city and what they need from us. To me it's all about forming better working relationships but the way things stand now...it won't happen...because collective bargaining is foreign to them. We just want to move this backwards state into the 21st century.
We would never have a non volunteering clause or rule in our contract...if we are ever lucky enough to have one...even though it's in the IAFF by laws. It just doesn't apply around here.
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P.S. Our state and local government has opted out of collective bargaining for too long. I don't care anymore if "it isn't right for them"...they haven't done right by us for years and years and the time has come for a little more give and take.
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Permalink Reply by Zack Spalding on
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The one thing I don't get is that I thought the IAFF is suppose to represent there members and if they have members that want to be volunteer firefighters on there own time, shouldn't they support them.
Written by 1 year active volunteer
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Permalink Reply by Kevin King on
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If a union FF replies to this he will have to do so anonymously or face the possibility of being reprimanded by the union.
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15 yrs non-paid vol. fire dept
8 yrs career non- union.
If the IAFF has there way there will be alot of small communities that will have no protection. The community where I was born and still live today is about 5,000 people can not afford to have a full time paid fire dept, hell we can't even get a fire district through because of higher property taxes. This dept runs strictly off of donations.
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