When Senator Joe Biden spoke at the IAFF 49th Convention, he urged our members to support Senator Barack Obama for president.

He was very eloquent — as always. He was forceful — as always. He was convincing — as always. You can view it for yourself at www.firefightersforobama.com.

We all know that Joe Biden has been the IAFF’s champion for more than 25 years, and his comments and the reception he received by almost 3,000 delegates reaffirm our special relationship with the senator.

What most didn’t know about Joe Biden is that just nine days later, on August 23, Senator Obama would introduce Joe as his running mate. We knew it could happen because Joe Biden had been mentioned as one of the people on Senator Obama’s short list.

Without question, Senator Obama’s decision to make Joe Biden his running mate reinforces this union’s decision to endorse Obama for president.

While Senator John McCain deserves to be honored for his incredible service to our country, his record on issues that relate to our members’ financial security, safety on the job and rights at work is very poor — and those are the issues you pay your dues to this union to be responsible for.

At the same time both Senators Obama and Biden have very strong records on those issues.

In his speech on August 14 at the 2008 Convention, Senator Biden told us in no uncertain terms that Senator Obama will be the “best friend fire fighters have ever had in the White House.”

I absolutely believe him. I also believe the same could be said of Joe Biden — that he would be the best friend fire fighters have ever had serving in the office of vice president of the United States.

Senator Biden’s relationship with our union is personal. He lost his wife and infant daughter in 1972 when a drunk driver struck his car. And he still thanks fire fighters for saving the lives of his sons that day.

He has told us about clinging to life in 1988 when he was diagnosed with two brain aneurysms. And he still thanks fire fighters for getting him to Walter Reed Medical Center, in Washington, DC, during a driving snow storm so doctors could perform the surgery that saved his life.

Joe Biden has a history with the IAFF in Congress, too. He knows us, and we know him. From our perspective, both Senator Obama and Senator Biden understand the needs of our members.

They understand that fire fighters deserve collective bargaining rights. John McCain doesn’t think you deserve federal rights to negotiate to raise safety, pay, benefit and retirement standards for yourself or your brothers and sisters on the job in places where they don’t have those rights today.

Senator Obama and Senator Biden understand that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) protects your overtime pay and other critical rights on the job. But the law is under attack by the League of Cities and other groups that want the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the FLSA does not apply to public safety employees. These groups want to overturn the Garcia decision, which guarantees fire fighters overtime pay. Since the Garcia decision, our members have earned billions of dollars in guaranteed FLSA overtime pay.

John McCain supports the right of local jurisdictions to take away your right to overtime pay if they decide to. He has indicated he would nominate Justices to serve on the Supreme Court who are likely to overturn the Garcia decision.

Senator Obama and Senator Biden also oppose forcing fire fighters into Social Security (for the 70 percent of our U.S. members who do not pay into the system). John McCain refuses to sign our letter opposing mandatory Social Security for our members.

Forcing fire fighters into Social Security will force every fire fighter to pay 6.2 percent of their salary into Social Security payroll taxes. A fire fighter earning $60,000 per year would be forced to pay $3,520 in new payroll taxes. That fire fighter’s employer also would have to pay 6.2 percent of payroll for each employee. Where do you think that money will come from? Your pocket. You don’t deserve that.

Senator Obama and Senator Biden want to strengthen the system of employer-paid health care that all of you work hard to build and sustain. Senator McCain’s health care plan encourages elimination of employer-sponsored health care in favor of you buying your own insurance. And if your employer keeps the employer-paid system under McCain’s plan, your employer gets to shift the tax burden to you, and you will have to pay taxes on every penny of that benefit.

For a complete comparison on the candidates’ records on these issues, turn to pages 22-23 or visit www.firefightersforobama.com.

Issues like right to life/choice, Second Amendment, same sex marriage and prayer in schools — those are issues that are in your personal basket. They are for you to judge and weigh in order to determine who to support in this election — we stay out of these issues.

This union celebrates and honors every member’s individual right to weigh these personal issues against the basket of issues for which this union is responsible — issues regarding your paycheck and rights on the job. Our endorsement is not meant to tell you how to vote. It is meant to provide our members with guidance on where the candidates stand on the union’s basket of issues.

And on those issues, the candidates’ records are clear. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have had our backs throughout their careers, and they will continue to be great friends to fire fighters as president and vice president of the United States.

There already were scores of reasons to vote for Senator Obama for president. His decision to make Joe Biden his running mate gives the IAFF and our members one more reason to support him.

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