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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 Smokeyjoe85 on
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There are only 3 full time fire Depts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,the rest are all volunteer fire Depts. I am a volunteer firefighter. I doubt if the (GOV.) is going to shut down these volunteer Depts. There wouldn't be enough full time fire fighters to cover the wide range of area we have up here. In the area I live ,we have 3 volunteer Depts(helping each other-when need be),and the need is usually always when a fire arises. We also have help from the DNR,as for the most part,it's all wooded areas up here. So I doubt if the (GOV.) will shut down the volunteer Depts here.
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Permalink Reply by Piney Power on
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I thought we were trying to stop the hatred between volunteers and paid firefighters? This is a HUGE step backwards.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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When are ALL firefighters going to understand that it is not what WE want, but what your public wants.
If they don't want to pay for full time, they get POC or volunteers. End of story.
If you can convince a town of 800 people that they need a full time department, then I want to hire you as my PR person.
Unions or the rest: YOU don't decide this issue. The people who PAYS decides this issue.
It's not that complicated, really.
TCSS.
Art
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As for full time depts here in the UP of Michigan. Appearently the people here are satisfied with the 3 full time Depts that there are up here. And yet still satisfied with the many other Volunteer Depts here as well. There are more Volunteer Depts up here, then full time. That in it's self should tell you something. Along with help from the DNR.
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Permalink Reply by Joel C Kelley on
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If you go back and read the original post, and the early discussion, I hope you will find that it was an attempt to discuss what exactly the issue was, and whether the legislation in question was a good idea.
I am all about breaking down the divide between Paid and Vol., especially here in Hawaii where the Vol. companies are toned out five minuts after the Paid companies, for calls in their own districts!
I have seen the divide here, and feel powerless to stop it. But the intent of the original post was to see what union folks thought about this piece f legislation, and whether IAFF could really kill volunteerism.
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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No one or no organisation could ever kill of volunteerism- it's here to stay, no matter how hard they try.
Now, if they want to stop their career members from volunteering, then I don't agree with it, but I also underatand that this is clearly an underhanded or heavy handed (depending on how you look at) to increase membership and justify more career staff (because the vols can't respond in time, etc). this shit happens the world over....
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I disagree with what you said about the vols can't respond in time. We respond pretty darn fast up here. We go to training classes,same as full time Depts. In fact ,if you take the vols out of the UP of Michigan and just contend with the 3 full time Depts there are up here-you might as well pack up and move elsewhere. There's not enough manpower and equipment to handle the job. I'm a Volunteer Firefighter,and pretty darn prowd of it. We have a swell bunch of guys and gals in our dept. We are all as smart as any full timer,and respond very fast. We take what we do very seriously,and don't go home til the fire is completely out. As for the full time members,volunteering they'er services-why volunteer if you can get a straight pay out of it? Makes no sence.
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You're missign what I'm saying- I'm inferring that the union will use the response time as an excuse if the department no longer has the off duty career staff holding them up.
I too have 13 years as a vol with an average response time of 4 minutes anda job tally of around 1100 per year.
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lutan 1:
Actually, what I have been seeing as the union's reasoning and some of it makes sense from a risk management perspective are:
Injuries. If a paid guy is injured while volunteering, it costs to cover him until he is able to return.
Presumptive cause. A paid guy who also volunteers gets cancer. Which one did he get it from? Who will pay?
Now; from my perspective.
It all becomes an issue of: does the employer have the right to control an employee's off work activities? If an employer does not have that right, then does the union have that right of its members?
Can the union charge an additional fee from the member that is both paid and volunteer?
These issues have been unresolved for some time.
Until they are resolved, there will be bitterness in our ranks.
For the record, I have not been nor am I a member of a union. I follow the issues for its historical value.
TCSS.
Art
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Permalink Reply by Chaz2771 on
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"As for the full time members,volunteering they'er services-why volunteer if you can get a straight pay out of it? Makes no sence."
Did it ever occur to you that maybe some people do it because they like to and not for the satisfaction or the pay check?
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I wasn't refering that full timers shouldn't volunteer,and I agree that they do it because they like to do it. What I intened to say came out all wrong,I do apologize for that. I'm not to much into the politics,nor do I belong to a union. Full time or Volunteer,we all are fighting the same thing(FIRE).
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Permalink Reply by nita on
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You are so right firecaptain72.... whether you volunteer your time or it's your profession...the IAFF has done more to further the fire service than some want to give it credit for. Those of you that want to knock the collective bargaining bill might need to read about it a little more.....it will only change things for us that work in right - to - work states...and believe me it will be a change in the right direction. UNITED WE BARGAIN, DIVIDED WE BEG !!!
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