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Comment by John S Cinque on December 20, 2010 at 10:08pm

President Harold A. Schaitberger 27 October 2010

President International Association of Firefighters

1750 New York Ave. NW

Washington DC 20006



Mr. Schaitberger,

This is my second letter to you regarding my union’s political action and support of candidates. Yesterday I received our SEPT/OCT issues and to say the least I was horrified to read your letter in the beginning.

My past letter dealt with the backing of mostly liberal candidates for political office and how I felt we as a union did not have the best interests of the country in mind. The union leadership, headed by you down in Washington, continually backs liberal progressive candidates under the guise that they are our friends and they give us what we deserve. Exactly what is it that we deserve, as you say in your statement? We work in an honorable profession but it is a job none the less. Those in the public sector pay our salaries. When things are going great they don’t give us a second thought, but now with very difficult times upon us, they are looking to blame someone. Our union should be standing up and saying we understand everyone is hurting and we are going to set the example to everyone that we will work hard helping everyone. That is what honorable leadership is. It means setting the example for others to follow. It is not sitting there saying, “give me, give me”, or “this is what we deserve”. Believe me; those paying our salaries are not going to say, “Oh the poor fireman, they want more”. You think coming out and saying, “Hey guys you have an exemption from health care reform until 2016” is doing us a favor? When the federal deficit crumbles like a house of cards and the smoke clears from the mirrors, then we will get exactly what we deserve and no one in the community will care about the poor fireman.

You talk about preferring Harkin, Pelosi, and Reid because apparently they are “our friends”. They may be yours but they certainly are not mine. If aligning yourself with liberal, socialist progressive’s is what you think is the right path, I can tell you, I will be nowhere near that path. My path is the path of constitutional freedoms which will lead to prosperity. Small limited government beholden to the people, not the other way around. If you want a socialist nanny state then you’re on the right path. When you say there are “fundamental differences between those who work with us and those guided by a different set of principles”, I could not agree more. As you state, the Tea Party is influencing the elections. Yes they are because the sleeping majority has awaken and take it from me, they have no intentions of going back to sleep. If you want our jobs and benefits gutted then keep throwing your lot in with the progressives destroying our Republic. They will be relegated to the history books and the public will remember where we stood as a union. Those without honor will die a traitor’s death in the end and that death will be our jobs. You call Senator DeMint a zealot and Governor Christi an oversized poster child for a reformist agenda, Shame on you. You call that leadership because I call it childish behavior? You offend the very things I hold dear. You go on to say this election is about preserving our jobs but I think you could not be more wrong. This election is about the very fabric of our country, it’s history, it’s values, and it’s very survival. There will be no jobs when the republic crumbles. Exactly who will be left to pay the bills when we are all equal through the delusional idea of wealth distribution? There are storm clouds on the horizon and the barometer you talk about is turning due south to a storm warning. Everything our union has accomplished throughout the years to move our profession along with safety manning and benefits will be squandered in one election cycle.

I have been a member of this union for 17 years and I do this job not because I want to be a fireman but because I am a fireman. It is the calling I chose after my service to my country. That oath I took to protect and defend the Constitution of The United States still runs through my blood. I can no longer sit by and listen to how great our union is while we continue down the path of ruin. I find our union no more respectable then the SCIU and ACORN. We continue our affiliation with the AFL-CIO even when Richard Trumka the president promotes “reviving socialism as a legitimate philosophy”! He travels the world promoting economic and social justice with the European socialist’s forum. Then on October 2nd of this year, he gives a speech in Washington DC to a crowd holding communist party signs and workers of the world unite banners. He says during his speech and I quote “people who want to build a middle class economy make up a majority of Americans whose socialist voices need to be heard. We are hoping that people come together and say, we’re the socialist majority and we can have a different kind of country.” Is this what you believe Mr. President? I find these statements repulsive and vile. In my own state of Connecticut, I receive mailings of who I need to vote for from my local, state representative union. Rosa DeLauro is endorsed because you call her a friend. Here is a woman who is a member of the Democrat socialist caucus in Washington and who also was an honored guest at the New Haven Peoples center here locally in August 2010. A group founded in 1937 and is the local hub for the states communist party. Is this what my union has to offer me, a candidate who is no stranger to communist causes? Then I see we are backing Richard “when I returned from Vietnam” Blumenthal. He was called the worst attorney general in the country by the Counsel for Special Projects and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. They called him a tireless crusader for the growing power of his own office. He stated himself that his goal was to shake up and reshape the way industry does business across the nation. Since when was that a role of a state official? I guess he is just a friend as you say.

I no longer call myself a proud member of the International Association of Firefighters. I hang my head in shame at the very thought of what this union has become.

John S. Cinque



Local 1205

East Haven, Connecticut

Comment by southtx30 on June 3, 2008 at 1:57pm

First howdy all from Texas. Dennis this is a major problem with not just the IAFF but most other "labor unions" (yuk that left a bad taste in my mouth). What we should be is a Professional Association. There is huge differences between a labor unions and professional assosctiations. Main differenece is that a professional associtation stands up and trys to improv the professional standards that are in place for that profession, 1st and foremost. A labor union does not stand up for these professional standards. Labor unions have one goal force all workeres to join a union, and force all employers to recognize that union, so the union actually runs the company. Which by the way is what communism is about, do some home work look at what Russia had with the so called labor unions. That is all for another topic. We as Republican FF's are being disenfranchised by the Democrat head's of our association. What is being sold to the rank and file as firefighter issues are actually AFL-CIO labor issues, which is run by a professed Socialist John Sweeney. What needs to happpen is we need to redefine these "firefighter issues". What are "firefighter issues"? I say there what the rank and file fundementally believe in: gun rights, pro life, pro marriage (man and woman), lower taxes, smaller goverment, States rights, and other moderate to conservative issues. The IAFF says its fighting for "firefighters issues" but we did not see them support the Bush tax cuts, a pro marriage ammendment, reducing welfare projects, drilling in ANWAR, protecting our borders, supporting 2nd ammendment issues, supporting pro life issues or supporting states and local governments rights to govern with out excessive influence from the federal government. If the want to push for collective bargainig this should not be done at the federal level. Let the local governments decide if they want it, the citiziens of that city, county, or state may not want to give firefithers the right to collective bargaining. They are the ones that pay our benefits, and salaries. No one should be forced to belong to a union to work we all have the Right to Work first, forming a union or association is privalage not a right. We do need to change our leadership but until conservative/republican firefighters take ove at the local level it is not going to happen. The only other way to get them to listen is for locals to drop out or threaten to drop out. Little history on Shaitburger, he only served as a firefighter for around 10yrs before he began his true career thats union leadership. Not to go one but I think the IAFF has lost its way, needs to return to being a professional association and not just another arm of the AFL-CIO. One more thing the IAFF should leave the AFL-CIO now!!! Check the AFL-CIO web site under links you will find link to American Communist party and several other radical socialist/marxist organizations. This is really scary!!!!

Comment by Capkurt on January 8, 2008 at 6:49pm

Hey Dennis, Got to agree with you 100%. Hang in there and I'll keep following the blog. See ya around.
Kurt

Comment by Dennis on January 7, 2008 at 7:54pm

If you only knew what a fiasco Local 22 is you would understand. It's not pretty yet we "Endeavor to persevere".

I will acknowledge that the IAFF has backed politicians on both side of the aisle and most Unions will do that often enough. But there is a strong sense that under Schaitberger the IAFF has gone to the mat with the Democrats at least on the national stage. Now if the rank and file are for the thats one thing. But if there is no opportunity for every local to be heard there is something wrong with that.

The federal budget is a horrendous abortion of pork projects and BOTH parties are guilty as sin. FF's need to make their voice heard but we need to be responsible what we are asking for. Bush has signed EVERY spending bill that has come his way. If anything he is part of the problem when it comes to out of control spending TOP to BOTTOM.

As for the City: They make us sign a policy statement that has strict limits on political activities of city employees. Thats why you never see Philly Cops or FF's on stage with politicians (Unless the Democrats are holding the event, like an anti-gun rally).

The "Machine is Democratic" in Philly and they have been doing far more damage to Philly Firefighters than GW Bush could ever hope to. Thats what we live with. Check out my blog from time to time for stories from the front.
Take care,
Dennis

Comment by Capkurt on January 7, 2008 at 6:07pm

Time to get involved in the leadership of the local then so you can get a following for your idea's. You didn't comment about the backing of candidates in the other races, Dem and Repub. And the purse strings just got tight for fire fighters not the bridges to no where in Alaska or any of the other pork narrel earmarks that are put into every bill? Just cut back on aid to fire fighters.Shrub has never been a friend of the FF's. I don't think the City can limit your political activities. Maybe on duty but not off when it is your time. What ever happened to the big city political machine in Philly?

Keep on blogging and stay safe too!

Comment by Dennis on January 6, 2008 at 11:14pm

As a matter of fact I am involved. Very involved. Unfortunately Local 22 is barred by City of Philadelphia Charter from engaging in political activities.

The IAFF like most national unions is a political puppet of the Democrat Party, that's pretty indisputable. It shows when Pres. Schaitberger make his Presidential choices.

Chris Dodd had NO shot at the White House. Thats a huge blunder in my book. Why would Bush back anything we want? We just backed his opponents?

Besides Congress has the purse strings. Did you ever think that those grants were being turned into GIGANTIC pork projects for dopey Congressman to win re-election?
EVERY local should be polled before anyone runs around the country purporting to speak for the rest of us. We were NEVER asked at the local level and that's just plain UN -American.

And it's my Blog brother and I'll post em' as I see them.
Stay Safe

Comment by Capkurt on January 6, 2008 at 9:12pm

I don't agree with you. I think the decision on who to back is carefully thought out and really depends on which candidate backs fire fighter issues. It's not soley a Democratic thing. President Bush has not shown much support for fire fighters/fire fighter issues with his proposed cuts to the Fire grants program. Have you read the results of the last election? The IAFF backed Republicans and Democrats. Most of the IAFF endorsed candidates won also. From the House to the Senate to the Governor's office of several states. Are you involved in your own local? Are you involved with your state orginization? That's the way to try to change things not by writing negative comments on a blog.