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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 Daniel Brinkley on
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If you break your leg "off-duty" you (your insurance) pays the bill.
Theres no duty of the jurisdiction to save your job
The issue gets cloudy especially when you try and volunteer in the same jurisdiction as you work.
Stay safe
Lt Dan
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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You are told not to do it, you do it anyway and get injured... that is the difference. You can't always prevent car accidents or slips, falls etc, but you can prevent injuries while being a volunteer, by just simply not being one. I'm not saying whether I agree or disagree, just answering your question.
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Permalink Reply by Joel C Kelley on
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Let's face it though, injury is always preventable. If I am worried about getting injured, I look to my training and technical competency in any sport or occupation. We look to our departments, paid or volunteer to help us out if we are injured on the job. Here is another instance where it appears the union is anti volunteer, because if a union member is injured while volunteering, that individual is subject to a potentially catastrophic battle for benefits under workers comp or other programs, but if injured on a union job, a team of lawyers is standing by. Same job, double standard.
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It may possibly be the same job, but that has nothing to do with what I responded to. He asked, why is it different if you are injured performing volunteer duties or injured playing basketball? To elaborate on my response, no one told the injured party not to play basketball. If it is part of your sworn CONTRACT with the City you CHOOSE to accept a position with to participate only in firefighting with your paid department, then this is what you should do. If you are then injured doing something that your sworn contract forbids, to put it bluntly you are screwing yourself and potentially your family.
Again, whether or not the Union is anti-volunteer isn't necessarily the question.. maybe it's money, maybe it's wanting everyone to be in the same union so we can all have the same rights and maybe it's the Union protecting it's members. Whatever the case may be, I answered the question asked and nothing more.
Injury is almost always preventable. I would never go so far as to say always preventable.
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Permalink Reply by Lawrence W on
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For those of you that are interested...
Go to Google.com and search for "Volunteer Fireman's Association". Google will produce over 2 million hits for this search. Each volunteer has certain rights under their respective Volunteer Fireman's Association. Some similar to benefits offered by the IAFF.
There are training opportunities, grant information, discount programs for all sorts of goods and services and many other benefits of membership. If you are looking for the information for your rights, start with the local chapter for your area. I am not saying this exists in all areas of the country or world, but it is certainly worth looking into.
From the Maryland State Fireman's Association, an important read on this subject:
http://www.msfa.org/index.cfm?fs=news.newsView&News_ID=55
Thanks,
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Permalink Reply by Russ on
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If the language of the proposal is intended to strengethen the rights of paid firefighters to form a CBU, more power to them and i would support it 100%...BUT...there should be safeguard language to protect volunteers from being specificly targeted for removal unless thats what the membership wants. I know of departments that were combination totally eliminating volunteers by a simple vote of the "majority of paid members" at a meeting with a "minority" of volunteers present resulting in a combination department becomming all paid in one night. "THEN" came a vote to disolve the volunteer association was held and the VFD association went bye-bye with AGAIN a "vote of the majority" who happened to be paid firefighters who were members of the volunteer association...Hmmm, sounds like a coup de ta-(yea i know i spelled it wrong) but you know what i mean. Many VFD associations have been disolved in one night right under the noses of their members by so called "members of the association holding a vote and the majority ruleing". i'm not saying that i'm against paid firefighters fighting for their rights. i have protested with volunteers to save their existance while being a paid firefighter because i supported their right to exist. i know that sounds stupid, but then again, i saw myself supporting brother firefighters in a cause that the majority wanted and a minority was trying to change. (the paid won eventually citing the usual charges that are used against volunteer departments) and that was that. My bottom line is whatever you want to do....be fair
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The point is - it is in no way the same "job"
It would be no diferent if you worked for McDonalds and volunteered for Burger King.
If you sizzle your finger off in the frier at Burger King, your Employeer McDonalds is not responsible for it.
Therefore the IAFF is not responsible to help you/ protect you if you dont listen and go somewhere and volunteer.
Just as your employer is not responsible if you dont listen and function improperly or with out PPE
Stay safe
Lt Dan
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I think the metaphor is strained, and while I see the point you are trying to make, I guess I wouold say that this is an unacceptible double standard, one that creates division where there should be unity.
If I am injured as a volunteer, there is no guarantee that my paying job will be there after my recovery, a protection that union firefighters enjoy, i believe. By your standard, it is not my employer's fault I broke my ankle on a call, nor should it be, but I could be out of a job if my recovery takes longer than my employer deems acceptible. Where is the security in that?
As volunteers, we all take risks, whether we work for paid departments or in the civilian sector. Our employers have no responsibility to perform in any different manner just because we volunteer in our spare time. Without union protections, we all have to assess wether the risk is worth it. While worker's comp is available to most every firefighter, it has no relationship to our outside jobs, nor should it.
Again, I say the IAFF is acting in an anti-volunteer way in these policies, when they could work to secure these protections for the entire fire service.
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Permalink Reply by Ruck on
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100% Volunteer, 14 yrs total service.
I live in a small town of a large county, where we have multiple volunteer departments (24 total volunteer) throughout the county. There is also 5 paid departments covering the few large cities in this county. Most of the "paid" FFs" in those 5 paid departments got there start as volunteers. My department is inc. so we don't get city tax moneys, we do get limited county funding, but most of our money comes from donations, fund raisers, and grants. I know that this seems like it isn't about the union, but I will get there I promise. These 24 volunteer departments have to go through the same training as the paid / union guys, we have to fight the same fires (I have never been cancelled on a call because the fire was a "union / paid" fire only!) In fact the very first organized fire department in the United States was a Volunteer department founded by one of the nations fore-fathers--Ben Franklin. I think that we should all benifit from the progress of the union. Why not help get better equipment for these small volunteer department's that don't have the means or funds to get it, at the same time negotiate for better wages for the paid departments? I just don't seehow, why volunteering is hurting the union. I was told by a union FF that "volunteering is taking away money from them." Ok then, how bout these union FFs that do odd jobs on the side (because they are underapid, and I don't disagree with that fact. I agree that paid FFs are underapid for the job WE do. I am an paid EMT as a career so I know a little about being underapid too. ), but do jobs such as building houses, or electrical work, pluming work, which are taking money from there respective unions such as the Laborers union, the Electricians union, the Plumber's union, etc??? Also, I don't get my $1 per month, but we DO still have worker's comp insurance. Sorry to get on a big long winded post.
FF / EMT J. Ruck
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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I don't want to interrupt anyone's hysteria, but volunteer fire departments are here to stay.
Small communities cannot afford to pay for full time, career fire protection. Therefore, they will not support any effort to do otherwise.
Think about it; when you tried to get just one more nickel per $100 assessed valuation, how'd you do? Bet residents were ticked. Schools get a dollar per hundred. Ambulance probably gets fifty cents, but fire departments in small communities are lucky to get twenty cents. I digress.
Yeah; there might be fewer career firefighters volunteering for other departments, but as long as volunteer departments can deliver affordable and adequate fire services, communities will pay for it and support it.
You don't have to be anti-union, but you don't have to be scared of them either.
They'll do their jobs. You do your's.
Art
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You missed the point. (The metaphor is not strained it fits to a tee)
An IAFF Firefighter enjoys the (limited) protection of his job, because it is his job. The Dept employing the IAFF FF is responsible and Laws kick in to protect the employee.
Some Volunteer systems enjoy these protections as well but when it comes to workers comp its hard to get a % of 0 if you were volunteering when you got hurt. The Standard is not double. Its the situation in which you apply the standard.
The IAFF is not being anti-volunteer by seeking the right to Collective Bargaining.
Stay safe
Lt Dan
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I don't think the right to collective bargaining is the problem, it is the most beneficial aspect of unions in my opinion. The problem as I see it, and we may have strayed from the original topic of the discussion, is that IAFF defines the job by the paycheck, when the vast majority of this nation's fire service doesn't get that paycheck. The result is that it works to protect and lobby for by some estimates, about 10-15% of the fire service in this country and leaves the rest of us out there to fend for ourselves.
I didn't miss the point, I just don't agree that it is an accurate depiction of the situation. Maybe its because I am "just a volunteer", but If a union firefighter wants to serve his community in say, a volunteer ski patrol, and hurts his knee to be laid up for a few months, does the IAFF come to the rescue? If a volunteer in an underserved districy takes a paid job in a union department, if he can no longer volunteer, he leaves his community even more underserved than before. If injured on a call, then both jurisdictions are left short. I grant that because he draws a paycheck from his paid department there is some level of responsibility to avoid injury, but if I were employed by a paid department, I wouldn't skip my ski trip because I was afraid of injury. I would go ski in my spare time and enjoy doing it. Such seems to be the case with two hatters. It should be clear however that off duty, volunteer time injuries are not Covered under IAFF rules, but should fall under the volunteer jurisdictions authority. IAFF wants to take care of PAID firefighters, I get that, and I still think it is anti- volunteer. But collective bargaining is not.
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