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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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Dude now I'm not sure I see your point?
I'm an IAFF firefighter, if I go skiing and get hurt (which by the way is probably a given) my Insurance (a negotiated benefit) will pay to make me better. Unless a volunteer district has benefits the same will happen if I get hurt while Volying.
The IAFF is a business they fight for IAFF members because we pay for that benefit.
By law "empoyees" have the right to organize and when we do we pay dues to an Association for their help and experience at all ascpects of the employment proccess.
I can tell you first hand that it was the govt.not the IAFF in my neck of the woods that stripped volunteers of some rights and benefits.
When I got hired about 50% of my Dept wre Volunteers ( a good part of them were in jurisdiction - like me) about 5 years ago a career guy volunteering fell out of the Apparatus and was seiously injured. In the past the county treated him as being on duty (The county did this of their own accord not because of any IAFF negotiations) All of a sudden now this guy is being told he was on his own. The local did what they could to find out why things were changing but like with anything else we dont have the final say. The counties last offer to help this guy was to front him some sick leave which he would have to pay back with future years balances, but hey he will be employed in future years.
So to get back on topic the Issue at hand, a bill to ensure collective barganing is not in and of itself anti-volunteer.
It will not be implemented the same across the board. Some may try to limit their members off duty activity (as it relates to volunteering) and others will want to improve salary and other benefits. I have to believe it will do more people good, then it will harm.
Stay safe,
Lt Dan
19 years IAFF
started as a volunteer
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Permalink Reply by Joel C Kelley on
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I started this discussion because I wanted to learn more about where the industry was on the collective bergaining issue, using an article I thought was particularly inflammatory. It did start the debate, and we have had good debate in the ten pages of posts. I have learned a lot, and I now stand behind collective bargaining as a right for all firefighters paid and volunteer. While I don't see volunteers getting the union hand extended to them any time soon, we must move in a forward direction regardless, and a hand extended to our union brothers is a step in that direction.
I would urge all who have been folowing this discussion to check out the campaign of Bill Richardson in the presidential race, at:
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/first_responders
I have worked with Gov. Richardson on some things and I have found him to be honest and a man of integrity.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Hoey on
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18 Years paid and Volunteer for over 20!
Ok well how to say this without insulting any hard core IAFF people. I understand your defense of the union I was a member and I know why they are there and yes they have done a great good for those who are members but please dont insult anyones intelligence by saying they are not against the volunteer departments in the country. They would not be a good union if they did not push to take over each and every community and force volunteer departments to go paid and soak up the union money. Thats what there job is. I have sadly been involved in a smear campaign that the union pushed to make a volunteer department look bad. Its no different then what the private ambulances are doing to the paid EMS its all for the sake of a dollar. The sad part is when firefighters go against other firefighters. I love when the local paid department near me is on scene and walk around like there shit dont stink They handle a city of 18000 and think they are the best. Before I semi retired I worked in a city of well over a million on a very busy truck and I just sit there and hope I never treated anyone that way.
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Thanks dan for the analysis of your view. It confirms both sides of the issue throughout the whole discussion. The IAFF is on the one hand a great organization when it comes to helping fire departments develop good working conditions and competitive wages, but on the other hand, the same organization can be detrimental to the volunteers who constitute the vest majority of the fire service in the US.
I think we all feel that collective bargaining is a good thing, and I am also certain that we all have heard stories like Dan's, of unions acting in an anti-competitive way against volunteers.
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Permalink Reply by katcraw on
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I have a question: In the town I volunteer in, we have 2 paid FT guys (the chief & a firefighter/EMT-I). The 20 remaining of us are volunteer. Would we recieve any benefits from the IAFF having the 2 FT ffer's? Or because we are of a majority volunteer, be given no regard in the situation?
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Permalink Reply by phinzup911 on
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I'm new here, and I am a member of a combination dept. that used to be 100 % volunteer, or "paid on call" as some call it. We get paid a set amount for each call we run. I am also an EMT for a third party ambulance service.
Recently, our county was finally able to start hiring "paid" personnel, and hired 12 to start out. They have only been on the job since July of this year.
So far there is no union, and I can't help but say I hope we never need one! But we're in our infancy so who knows what will come in the future. I hope this bill doesn't pass, as in some areas if it wasn't for "career" personnel volunteering, there would be no one to respond.
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My understanding is that the IAFF would help your paid personnel, while Volunteers would be without any of the protections they offer.
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Well If it were me I'd probably attempt more (paid) positions, then salary and health care, then shift configuration etc.
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Permalink Reply by Wendy Neumeyer on
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Hi There Everyone! I just found this site researching the above article because our training officer brought it in the other night, and joined Firefighter Nation. There is some very good discussion here I would like to reply to on several fronts. A large number of firefighters have shown their frustration with their replies to this issue. I am a POC volunteer. The meaning of that changes with the area you live in, like the guy who gets paid $1. Our all volunteer department receives $5 for attending training (limit one training per month) and $10 for incident response (whether it is 20 minutes or ten hours). The city that governs my department consists of one square mile that is incorporated. That is not the limit of our response area. We respond in a ten mile radius. They have set our budget at $14,000.00 per year. For everything. Fortunately they aren't in charge of writing grants. Through the office of Homeland Security, Fema, NWCG and other entities, we have managed to train many firefighters in our county as a cooperative effort to increase our skills collectively and upgrade our apparatus and equipment. Our entire county (over 9,000 square miles) is mostly interface. What would have once been called rural or even wilderness is dotted with homes surrounded by heavy natural fuel packages. I just came back from southern California, in the San Bernardino National Forest. Although it boasts a sprawling metropolis, it is also heavily interfaced. I worked with every type of equipment and personality that exists. The structure guys have attitude about the wildland people, and vice versa. The Agency folk (USFS, BLM, CAL-FIRE, etc.) have attitude about the contractors, the Hotshots have attitude about everybody...it goes on and on. But I got a real refreshing attitude from the man who was my immediate overhead on the Slide Fire at the Boy Scout Camp...during a discussion regarding replacing lost and damaged equipment (which is a nightmare for contractors), he said, "I don't care who you work for, out here we're all firefighters, aren't we?" Thanks, Lee. I think you're one helluva guy.
My point in sharing all of this is we are all necessary. Volunteers aren't going away. My little town and the next twenty miles in any direction, don't have enough people who could meet the physical requirements to be FFI or FFII paid firefighters even if they did raise the taxes to pay for it. But the people I respond with are physically capable of doing the job, and stick with it until everything is done, including rehab. Their level of dedication is no less because they aren't "professionals". Their commitment to the community is no less either. Although we only get paid for one training per month, we attend at least four. Every volunteer in our department. We also have automatic (not just mutual) aid with the neighboring two communities, and we train together at least once each month. They have different city councils than we do, they get paid differently than we do, but only five of over 40 people in these three communities get more than gas money. No one bargains for us. We go to the city council meetings, listen through their objections, try to cooperate and find common ground, and do what we can with what we have, just as another ff said here.
If this bill is going to help any of us let's support it together, if it's going to hurt any of us, let's fix it together. Thanks for listening.
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Permalink Reply by Donnie Bathje on
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I understand what is being said here. I also do not agree with the IAFF by-law that states such. However look at the liability one causes to his own family by volunteering and getting hurt and are unable to provide for their family. While I do not necessarily agree with the IAFF's by-laws, I understand their view. If it is just to increase Union Fees then hell no....I work for a combo Dept. and no union currently insight.....Never have had one and we have being organized since the early 1900....1904 I believe.......Unless the community has 20 residents. I think you need to recruit more citizens. For everyone out there that wants to do it, there are 3 who have no idea what they need to do to get started in the fire service. The fire service is strong as well as the union......But we have survived much worse than this crap. Volunteers will be around for many, many , many more years to come.......There is not enough money to pay everyone to be full time nationwide.......
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I agree that there is a huge liability issue for two hatters Viz. their families and their jobs. That is on of the things I see as a problem of the fire service today. I have long maintained that a Volunteer is buried as deep as a career firefighter, and in keeping wit that, we need to strive for some level of parity with regard to who protects volunteers when things go badly. Volunteers get worker's comp in most places, but that doesn't protect their jobs in the civilian sector. If a volunteer is injured on a job, and cannot work, his or her job is not secure, and it doesn't matter what the paid job is. As a volunteer, I know that if I get injured, I may be out of a career, because there is no provision to protect my Paid job. It is no different for union Firefighters nor should it be.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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Typical government bullsh-t......I wonder who has their hands in the till on this one...?? Paul
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