|
 How is My Contribution Used?
Your
FIREPAC contribution allows the IAFF to educate members of
Congress about issues important to your profession as fire
fighters and emergency medical personnel and to help elect
candidates to office who support those issues. For those
incumbents or candidates who are supportive of the IAFF
legislative agenda, FIREPAC will make a contribution to
their campaign.
During the 2005-2006
election cycle, FIREPAC contributed more than $3 million to more than 330
pro-IAFF candidates running for Congress in aces across the country.
FIREPAC is
among the
top 25 federal PACs among the more than 4,000 in the country.
In addition, of all organized labor unions (AFL-CIO or Change to Win unions),
FIREPAC is the most bi-partisan PAC, contributing 30 percent of its funds to
Republican candidates.
While many candidates
solicit FIREPAC contributions, not all are successful in receiving its support.
To be eligible to receive a FIREPAC contribution, candidates must meet specific
criteria. For incumbents, FIREPAC reviews voting records on IAFF issues, as well
as other actions elected officials take -- such as co-sponsoring legislation and
working behind the scenes with the IAFF to promote its legislation -- weighs the
difficulty of the race and surveys the level of participation IAFF locals have
in the campaign.
Challengers must
complete a candidate questionnaire detailing their positions on a number of IAFF
legislative issues. FIREPAC will also meet with the candidate to discuss the
race and his or her commitment to the IAFF’s legislative agenda. FIREPAC also
assesses polling data, the candidate’s viability, the level of support from IAFF
locals and, if applicable, voting records on IAFF issues at the state or local
level.
IAFF Endorsement
Philosophy
The IAFF believes that
every IAFF member has an absolute right to vote for the candidate they deem best
represents and embraces that individual’s views and political philosophy. No
one, including your union, has a right to tell you how to vote.
The IAFF knows that its
members are intelligent enough to review the history, positions and platform of
each candidate and to make a decision based on that information. The IAFF will
never criticize any member for their choice of candidate. There are many issues
that are important to all Americans -- including IAFF members -- beyond fire
service and labor issues. Consequently, the IAFF respects its members’ right to
vote for candidates who have not won the endorsement of the IAFF or your local
affiliate.
However, the IAFF asks
that its members respect the IAFF’s duty to make its endorsement based on fire
service, employment and labor issues. This union views candidates through a very
narrow focus. Decisions are predicated on how candidates stand on fire fighter
and labor issues — such as collective bargaining, protection of FLSA and
overtime rights, pay fairness and equity for federal fire fighters, funding for
first responder initiatives, support of the FIRE Act and SAFER, protection of
pension and social security benefits, protection and extension of health care
benefits for active and retired members, federal spending and tax policies, etc.
The IAFF does not base decisions on issues such as Second Amendment rights,
right to life or pro-choice, the environment or other social issues.
The IAFF has one mission:
to improve the lives and livelihoods of professional fire fighters. This union
is an advocacy group similar to the NRA, Christian Coalition, Sierra Club, etc.
Its range of issue is very specific. No one expects the NRA to base
endorsements on fire fighter bargaining rights; likewise, no one expects the
Christian Coalition to base its support of candidates on funding the FIRE Act.
Consequently, no one should expect the IAFF to base its endorsement on anything
other than its specific set of issues.
While you may personally
disagree with the IAFF endorsement and believe that another candidate better
represents your own viewpoint, please be mindful that the IAFF endorsement is
about the candidate’s stance on fire service and labor issues.
In any union, association
or even political party, when an organization endorses a particular candidate or
a specific position on any issue, not everyone who is a member is in agreement.
People are entitled to disagree and express their own opinions.
Politics within the IAFF
is an issue of mutual respect. The IAFF respects its members’ right to vote for
whoever they choose. Please respect the IAFF’s right to endorse candidates —
regardless of party -- who have demonstrated their support for the IAFF and
professional fire fighters. The IAFF also respects the right of state
associations and individual affiliates to endorse the candidate that they
believe best represents the views of their respective memberships. The IAFF
believes that our job is putting fire fighters first.
|
