Who Gets the Prize?

January-February, 2007 International Fire Fighter

It’s early, but candidates for president of the United States are already traversing the nation, visiting early caucus and primary states, showing voters their good sides and hoping to obscure their less appealing qualities.

Because of the work of our union at every level, we have proved our value in electing many successful candidates on both sides of the political aisle. And now the presidential hopefuls are courting the IAFF for our support, looking for the prized gold and black that’s so symbolic of your service to community and country.

We have issued invitations to 15 prospective candidates for president — Democrats and Republicans alike. We have asked them to stand in front of about 1,000 of our leaders and members following our 2007 Legislative Conference — in what we are calling our 2008 Presidential Forum.

These candidates and would-be candidates will have the chance to explain their positions on the issues important to our union, our members’ livelihoods and this great nation. We will also be broadcasting each candidate’s remarks via the Internet so that every IAFF member has the opportunity to hear and see those who have aspirations to lead our country.

The 2008 Presidential Forum will provide key information for all of us as the IAFF begins, the process of deciding which candidate deserves our support for president. So, it’s important to state clearly our political and policy principles, what role your union should play on your behalf and what we are looking for in a candidate to justify our support.

As the union for professional fire fighters and paramedics, we stay focused on the issues and support the candidates who have a record of standing with us in protecting you on the job, securing your standard of living, protecting your retirement, securing affordable health care and standing strong for the protection of our homeland defenders.

It’s not this union’s job to make decisions on candidates based on choice/life, prayer in school, cultural issues or the many important personal concerns that every IAFF member, like every other voter, will consider when finding a presidential candidate to support.

It’s this union’s job to pick a candidate based on who will make sure you are provided with the funding, staffing and tools needed so you can safely do the tough job of protecting our citizens and neighborhoods, while enjoying good wages, benefits, working conditions and a secure retirement.

In our selection process, we must focus on the candidate who is willing to stand up for the rights of American workers and effectively address our nation’s health care crisis that is taking more and more out of your pockets. We must look for the candidate who will work to stop the attacks on your pensions, who supports giving all fire fighters the right to collective bargaining and who will give workers and unions back some of the rights and power that have been eroded over the years through changes and selective enforcement of our nation’s labor laws.

We also must pick someone who can win.

It is important for these candidates to look all of us in the eye and make their pitch for our support. We have earned that right by showing we can influence elections at every level. We have shown the value of our endorsement and vocal support in getting voters to support candidates who support us.

Over the past decade, we have proved to politicians that the nation’s professional fire fighters and paramedics have unique political clout. We have enormous sway for a union that may not be the biggest, but is one of the best, because your image is unmatched and our interests and concerns reflect those held by most Americans.

Having high-profile candidates from both political parties participating in our forum is testimony to our influence and the respect your union engenders from all sides of the political spectrum. We will use that leverage to ensure that those running for president support professional fire fighters and our issues.

We will use that leverage to pursue an aggressive agenda in the current session of Congress. We have been waiting for years for the opportunity to move on a federal collective bargaining bill that gives members in 19 states the right to finally negotiate a labor agreement. We now have the chance, with a worker-friendly Congress, to make progress on that important initiative.

We also will seek changes in Congress that allow our retirees — those ages 55 to 64 — to buy into Medicare. We will seek reform of the Alternative Minimum Tax that could cost our members thousands in higher taxes, lobby for more money for the FIRE Act and SAFER programs, and fight like hell for presumptive disability coverage for our federal fire fighters.

But our success on those scores is all about using our political power. And, I assure you that we are one union that exercises our clout on both sides of the aisle.

It’s still early, but with the game already starting, it’s time to think about who we want in the Oval Office. It’s time to scrutinize the long list of candidates pursuing our endorsement — and to begin deciding who will get the prize and the privilege of having the proud gold and black of the IAFF at their side through the tough fights ahead.
 

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