Paul Hufnagel Elected IAFF 8th District Vice President

March 12, 2010 – Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union (MPFFU) President Paul Hufnagel has been elected IAFF 8th District Vice President. Hufnagel was nominated for the position after former 8th District Vice President Tommy Miller was elected IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer in January.

“On behalf of General Secretary-Treasurer Miller and the IAFF Executive Board, we congratulate Hufnagel on his election and we look forward to working with him to accomplish the work of our great union,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.

“I want to thank our members in the 8th District for their support,” says newly-elected IAFF 8th District Vice President Hufnagel. “During his time as District Vice President, General Secretary-Treasurer Miller worked hard to unite state associations, provide an increased level of membership services and protect fire fighter jobs. I plan to build on that as we move forward.”

Hufnagel began his career in the fire service and the labor movement in Lansing, Michigan. Soon after becoming a fire fighter there, he joined Lansing Local 421 and served in several positions on its executive board, including president from 1985-1994.

While serving as Local 421 president, Hufnagel worked hard to improve the pension plan, reduce the work week from 56 to 43 hours and maintain a competitive pay scale for his members.

In 1996, he was elected MPFFU president. He was instrumental in passing state legislation allowing fire fighters the freedom to live where they wanted, not just in the municipality they served. Additionally, he fought to protect members’ collective bargaining rights.

“Michigan has had collective bargaining legislation on the books for 40 years,” says Hufnagel. “But, with these tough economic times, many local governments tried to overlook that.”

On the International level, Hufnagel has served as an IAFF District Field Service Representative since the program began in 2000.

Not only has Hufnagel been a strong leader within the IAFF, but he has also worked hard for the labor movement as a whole. He served on the Greater Lansing Central Labor Council Executive Board for 30 years -- 10 as president. Additionally, he also served on the Michigan State AFL-CIO board for 10 years.

As required by the MPFFU Constitution and By-laws, Hufnagel will be resigning from his position as president. MPFFU Secretary-Treasurer Terrence Chesney, with the assistance of the members of the MPFFU Executive Board, will assume the duties and responsibilities of the president until a new one is elected.