Protecting Our Locals During Economic Crisis

I want to assure you that the International is aggressively responding to the worst economic crisis for the fire service since the Great Depression. To that end, I have worked with senior IAFF staff to develop a contingency plan to shift International resources to where they are most needed -- to IAFF locals hurt by the weak economy and shrinking federal and state aid to municipalities.

The deteriorating economic climate in our two nations is having an ever-increasing impact on our affiliates and our union members. Cuts in federal and state funding are wreaking havoc with local budgets. Local officials desperate for more revenue are proposing draconian cuts in fire, EMS, and other municipal services.

Each week, the International is fielding new requests for assistance from IAFF affiliates facing layoffs, staffing reductions, station closings, benefit cuts, increasingly antagonistic negotiating sessions and many other cutbacks that are directly related to the weak economy in the United States and Canada. The number of affiliates needing IAFF assistance will continue to increase as more cities, towns, counties, and fire districts face funding shortfalls.

For many IAFF members, this national fiscal crisis will be also be a personal crisis.

Such is the case in Springfield, Mass. where 53 fire fighters, all members of Local 648, received layoff notices. Coupled with the city’s decision to eliminate 70 unfilled positions, the Springfield Fire Department will be reduced in size by 25 percent, creating a situation that jeopardizes the safety of Springfield’s fire fighters and citizens.

Several weeks ago, I met with Springfield Local 648 member Tim Belbin who was in Washington to appear at a press conference on the IAFF’s behalf. Brother Belbin spent seven years in the Marines before he came on the job in Springfield three years ago. He and his young family recently bought a home. Now he is being laid off. To compound matters, he is also a military reservist who may soon be called up to active duty.

Brother Belbin is not alone in his plight. Some of you are facing similar circumstances in your fire and EMS departments. And some of you worry that your department may be the next to face the chopping block.

We anticipate that nothing will be sacred as municipalities wrestle with their budget deficits. Beyond the layoffs, staffing cuts and station closings, we are preparing to help affiliates deal with management moves to cut your benefits, particularly health insurance benefits where efforts to increase co-pays, raise premiums and reduce coverage can be expected.

Affiliates may also have to withstand attacks on your pensions through a variety of actions ranging from increased employee contributions and changes in actuarial assumptions, to loss of COLAs and shifts away from defined benefit plans.

In fact, we can expect that every item in a local’s contract will be scrutinized by management looking for cost savings.

Besides the personal toll on our members, the specter of already under-staffed fire and EMS departments running with even fewer fire fighters is also very disturbing and very dangerous.

I want to make sure that the International not only has the capability to respond to the volume of requests from our locals, but also that we are able to quickly shift International resources internally to meet the critical and immediate needs of our affiliates during these trying times.

Our contingency plan takes these factors into account. We are using a task force concept to provide the International with the maximum flexibility in assigning staff to areas with the greatest need. Under this concept, if one IAFF department finds itself overwhelmed by requests from affiliates, staff from other IAFF departments will be assigned to a task force to assist that department in fulfilling its mission in a timely and effective manner.

We know from experience that many of the affiliate requests for service from the International will require customized and specialized technical assistance.

Much of the increased workload at the International will focus on the divisions and departments within the IAFF that handle technical assistance services, strategic planning, legislative and political action, and public relations. We have already seen a spike in requests for technical assistance, particularly in the areas of geographic information services (GIS), financial analysis, and preparation for contract negotiations.

We must also be on guard against efforts by management to use the economic crisis as an excuse to get rid of local union leaders or break IAFF local unions. I will not hesitate to use the Legal Guardian Program to protect our unions and union leaders.

To bolster our resources in the field, I have redirected the focus of the IAFF District Field Services Representatives to deal specifically with the problems and issues our locals are expected to face as their municipalities cope with the economic slowdown.

And while we will continue to seek implementation of NFPA 1710 on a municipality-by-municipality basis, we must also face the reality that we have to first protect the jobs of our members in cash-strapped communities. Part of our focus on NFPA 1710 will include using it as a vehicle to help affiliates make the case why cuts cannot be made, particularly when a fire department already fails to meet the standard.

I also believe that we must expand our national legislative program to cover some critical “big picture” issues that ultimately have a direct effect on our affiliates, our members, and the financial well-being of the communities where they are employed.

Health care reform is one of those issues. With 43 million Americans without health insurance and too many Americans using 911 and fire-based EMS for basic health care needs, the pressure on local fire departments and the entire health care system continues to intensify. Unless solutions are found, we expect to see increased efforts to scale back your health insurance.

The debate over stimulating the economy is another critical issue area because a healthy economy will resolve many of the extraordinary financial ills plaguing many communities and directly impacting our affiliates and members. Among our legislative priorities must be a reasonable tax policy that provides relief to the middle class, rather than those with incomes in the top 2 percent, and doesn’t result in further cuts in federal funds to states and municipalities. We must make sure that any tax plan stimulates the economy now by providing aid to state and local governments and putting money in the hands of working families who need it and will spend it.

Our fight for more federal funding for training, equipment and staffing through the FIRE Act and Homeland Security funding is more important than ever - and we will keep the pressure on the administration and the Congress.

On the bright side of this issue, support for our call to devote more Homeland Security money to the local level is gaining support among leaders and a bipartisan coalition in both chambers of Congress. The administration and even President Bush, himself, are finally coming around to admiting there is not enough money in his budget for first responders.

Obviously, our political support for a presidential candidate in the 2004 elections will be contingent upon a candidate’s record on supporting fire fighters and demanding that the federal government shoulder its burden by providing the necessary resources to first responders and funding Homeland Security issues.

As we work to minimize the impact of these difficult times on you and your local union, we must be realistic in our actions and our strategy. The International has no magic wand to solve the serious problems your locals will face, but I can assure you that the IAFF will work night and day to address these issues and fight on your behalf to protect fire fighter safety, staffing, and your hard fought rights and benefits.

By recognizing the needs of our affiliates on the front end and adapting and committing our International resources where they are needed most, we will be better prepared to provide you with the best possible service.

Flexibility, effective assistance, first-rate service, and rapid response will guide our actions as we focus the International’s energy and expertise on helping you and your locals weather this very real economic crisis.

Click Here to Read President Schaitberger's Past Messages

[to top]