Two events this summer, one month apart, underscore the importance of a strong union. On June 18, one of the worst tragedies in the history of the fire service occurred in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine fire fighters died in the line of duty while battling a fire at the Sofa Super Store.

The enormous loss of life speaks to the significant hurdles that first responders face in South Carolina, where unions are looked upon with scorn by many of the elected leaders and political appointees who make the decisions that, too often, can determine the fate of our members. 

In that state, weak labor laws put fire fighters in jeopardy every day. Safety measures and common-sense procedures endorsed by fire departments across the country and regulating bodies like NFPA are ignored by those in command in many South Carolina cities. In Charleston, their cowboy chief endorsed, embraced and made standard unsafe tactics that most in our profession recognize as outdated decades ago.

We are trying to influence city and fire officials in Charleston, but without recognition of our union as the representative of the fire fighters, it’s an uphill battle.

The deaths of the Charleston Nine are a clarion call that we must stand up and demand change. The remarks of Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas should send a shiver down the spine of every fire fighter and their families. “Our fire fighting techniques are not going to change in the city of Charleston Fire Department,” he said on June 27.

I wonder if this chief has any idea that it wasn’t just bad luck that killed these nine brave men who were doing their jobs, as they were trained and as command directed.

Command in Charleston isn’t the only thing in need of change. NFPA 1710 is nowhere on the radar screen in the state. It’s the only state in the nation to have a short-sighted regulation that only requires two-in, one-out, instead of the national standard two-in, two-out. Fire fighters and fire inspectors aren’t required to be certified. There are no penalties for failing to adhere to NIMS protocols. Sprinkler laws are severely lacking. The list goes on, and so will our fight for change, in honor of the Charleston Nine.

Contrast that tragedy to an event just one month later, on July 17, when our union’s top legislative priority, our collective bargaining bill, was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

We have worked tirelessly for this day, when our members would be afforded the rights that virtually all other American workers have had for the past 70 years. And today we are one step closer. Our goal is for all of our members to finally have the right to negotiate over wages, benefits, working conditions and their safety and health on the job, through their union.

The magnitude of our achievement on Capitol Hill is tempered by the deaths of fire fighters in Charleston. And the irony couldn’t be more pronounced: while we experienced the legislative victory of a lifetime in Washington, DC, we are fighting for our lives in South Carolina.

The two incidents show the difference between having strong support among lawmakers, and an atmosphere created when union rights are not afforded the appropriate respect among those in politically powerful positions.

More importantly, it shows the value and need for our union to focus a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources on continuing to enhance what we have already built into a potent political operation at all levels.

The July 17 vote was nothing short of a monumental accomplishment for our union, and it speaks to the success of our political philosophy that parties don’t matter.

HR 980 garnered 280 co-sponsors, including 70 Republicans. A majority of Democrats and Republicans in the House supported our collective bargaining bill, which now goes to the Senate.

This broad bipartisan support shows what we can do when we stand with our friends — those who support us — regardless of their party designation.

Our success in politics has translated into success in the legislative arena, because lawmakers understand that when they recognize how dangerous your jobs are  and grasp the importance of providing the nation’s first responders with the tools they need to do their jobs safely so they can make it home at the end of their shifts, their support is rewarded with our loyalty.

Our South Carolina brothers and sisters work in a state where public officials are openly hostile toward unions. Our members have historically had little leverage in South Carolina because they don’t have the right to bargain, and those running the fire departments have used their ability to unilaterally hire and fire, without due process, to intimidate fire fighters across the state from standing up for themselves.

While our July 17 legislative victory on Capitol Hill is evidence of our hard work, the June 18 tragedy in Charleston is a bitter reminder that a lot of work remains to be done.

With the passage of our collective bargaining law in the Senate to come soon, and if we can get the president to sign the bill, our members in South Carolina will soon have the ability to stand up and fight for their own rights and safety on the job, with the power of the law on their side.

The link between strong political action and protecting our members at work has never been so clear. With the national elections coming in 2008, it’s time for every IAFF member to step up and lend their voice to our fight to extend the right to bargain to all of our brothers and sisters across America.

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