Retired Montana Fire Fighter Elected as State House Speaker

November 21, 2008 – When retired member of Harve, MT Local 601 Bob Bergren takes his position as Montana Speaker of the House on January 5, 2009, he will be the first IAFF member to hold the position of Speaker.

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger has long emphasized the importance of electing fire fighters to office. “In these uncertain economic times especially, we need to have political office holders who will work to protect fire fighters and public safety resources,” says Schaitberger. “There’s no better way than to elect our own.”

“I am very humbled to be elected to this position,” says Bergren. “Many of my brother and sister fire fighters have helped elect pro-fire fighter legislators. Being surrounded by House members who support labor issues, as I do, not only put me in a position to run for Speaker, but also creates an environment to champion fire fighter and worker-friendly legislation.”

Bergren is a past president and vice president of Local 601. He also served as a lobbyist for the Montana State Council of Professional Fire Fighters (MSCPFF) for one session and has served on the Montana AFL-CIO executive board since 2001.

Six years ago, Bergren was elected to the Montana House of Representatives and was elected to his fourth and final two-year term (Montana has a four-term limit) on November 4, 2008. He was elected as House Whip in 2005 and Deputy Minority Leader in 2007.

One of his most noted accomplishments as a member of the state house is his assistance in bringing three IAFF locals into the state’s retirement system. “Until recently, our retirement plan allowed only municipal fire fighters,” says Bergren. “Now, the plan has been re-worded to include a fire district, an unincorporated city and fire fighters from one IAFF federal local.”

After the 2008 elections, the Montana House was tied at 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Under state law, Democrats hold the speaker’s post because the governor is a Democrat. In the run for the position, Bergren challenged Representative Dave McAplin (Missoula). Because of his well-known ability to work with both parties, Democrats voted in favor of Bergren.