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Current message from the General Secretary-Treasurer:
Preparing for Convention
The IAFF 2012 Convention is fast approaching, and as I travel across North
America to attend your conventions, it reminds me that we are very busy
preparing for the 51st IAFF Convention in Philadelphia in July.
I am excited to attend my second Convention as your General Secretary-Treasurer,
but Lord knows I have attended many of them. For many of you, the 51st
Convention may be your first experience at this important biennial gathering.
The IAFF Convention is where we conduct the business of our union, and the work
that’s done in Philadelphia will affect all our lives for the next two years
until we meet again.
I urge everyone who attends the Convention to get involved and participate in
the nuts-and-bolts work required to run this great union. The IAFF doesn’t run
itself — it takes the ambition and perseverance of all of us to ensure that the
best union in North America keeps running on all cylinders and working for fire
fighters and paramedics on the frontlines.
It truly does take all of us to make this work. New and veteran members alike
should have a voice in running our union and establishing our priorities.
I firmly believe that the participation of our newer members is absolutely
crucial. Our veteran members may have important institutional knowledge, but we
need to make sure we are nurturing future leaders today so they are ready and
able to step up when the veterans decide to hang ‘em up.
So whether this will be your first Convention or your fourth Convention, each
and every one of you plays a vital role.
As the Convention draws near, I want to go over some important business with
you. First and foremost, you will not be credentialed unless your local’s per
capita is paid in full through June. This is a crucial detail and one that
inevitably causes frustration for a number of delegates who arrive at Convention
fully prepared to participate and excited to attend. If you’re a delegate, don’t
let it happen to you — make sure your local has paid its per capita.
If your local has an outstanding EDF loan, delegates can only be seated and
credentialed if the local is current on its payment schedule. This is another
detail that inevitably arises at each Convention.
As June approaches, it’s also important to remind everyone that resolutions are
due very soon. If your local plans to submit a resolution, you can do that by
mail or electronically by June 4. Just keep in mind that the original must be
received by June 13.
Complete information about the Convention is available online at
www.iaffconvention2012.com. If you plan to attend the Convention, check this
site to stay up to date.
We are also continuing to improve the way we serve you at Convention. For the
first time, Convention Call notification was sent via email to direct affiliate
leadership to the Convention web site to access all relevant Convention
information. We will again put a number of Convention reports — such as the
Officers’ Reports — on a DVD. We hope this makes it more convenient for you to
take the information back home and share it with your members. Since it worked
so well in San Diego, we will again use the barcode registration system to get
you credentialed and seated quicker.
Pulling this Convention together requires a Herculean effort by scores of
people. But it also requires cooperation from all of us. So do your part before
it gets too late. Time flies.
Finally, on a different matter, it has come to our attention that some
municipalities are putting health care on W-2 forms this year. Compliance with
laws, regulations and policies is a challenge for us all, so we rely on experts
for guidance. It has been brought to my attention that some tax preparers claim
that the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage (reported as Code DD in Box
12 of your 2011 Form W-2) is taxable. We want you to be aware that this cost of
employer-sponsored health coverage is currently not taxable to employees; in
fact, this informational reporting is optional for calendar year 2011. If you
have already filed your 2011 Form 1040 and your Box DD information was treated
as taxable income, we recommend contacting the IRS for guidance as to how you
reclaim taxes paid on these overstated wages.
See you in Philadelphia.
Click here to read other messages from IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Miller.
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