8th District Report

In accordance with the International Association of Fire Fighters Constitution & By-Laws, Article VI, Section 7, I respectfully submit this report of my activities as 8th District Vice President to the General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Board, and delegates to the 58th Biennial Convention of the IAFF. This report briefly summarizes activities carried out on behalf of the members of the IAFF 8th District during the reporting period between IAFF conventions. 

As I have done with every IAFF Convention Report, I will begin by thanking the 8th District local affiliate and state association leaders for their support and assistance with district operations. The state associations in the 8th District play a crucial role in representing IAFF members on critical issues in their respective state capitals. Through partnerships with the IAFF, they also help provide training and education programs while working in conjunction with the IAFF to deliver resources and services to our local affiliates. This collaboration is vital to the success of the IAFF. 

The dedication of our local and state affiliate officers is invaluable in delivering services to our members and keeping the 8th District’s 860 local affiliates and five state associations operating at full strength. Their steady and consistent support has helped create effective operations throughout our Great Eighth District. 

Since the close of the 57th IAFF Convention, I have represented the IAFF 8th District at all scheduled IAFF Executive Board and committee meetings, while also completing assignments designated by the General President. Those assignments include the following Executive Board committees: Emergency Medical Services, Education, Human Relations and Grants, Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, Canadian Affairs, and Technical Assistance. 

The following is a brief synopsis of the services and resources delivered throughout the 8^th District during this reporting period.   

The 8th District continues to lead in adding new IAFF affiliates. Since the 2024 Convention, our district has grown by 28 new locals, bringing the total number of new affiliates to 113, since taking office in 2016. 

As of this writing, the number of local affiliates in the 8^th District stands at 860. Our 8th District affiliate and state association leaders are the catalysts for this growth. Their actions and representation of the IAFF create the environment that makes fire fighters and EMS professionals want to belong to our great union. Thanks to our state association leadership for their efforts in this regard. 

At this 2026 Convention, the delegates will have an opportunity to expand the IAFF Organizing Department through passage of a resolution. I encourage support for our efforts to improve service delivery and continue to build membership and affiliates.  

8th District service representatives delivered more than 200 days of field service since our last convention. Working with our state associations, IAFF staff, and IAFF district field service representatives, we have provided locals with assistance in organizing, collective bargaining, public relations, media collaboration, health and safety, political action, legal issues, staffing and deployment analysis, and EMS integration through GIS Story Maps. 

Services delivered by the IAFF Technical Assistance and Information Resources Division account for the bulk of requests from the 8th District. The IAFF Collective Bargaining Department and the Fire & EMS Operations Department continue to be the workhorses. During the past 24 months, hundreds of Municipal Financial Analysis reports have been processed, and dozens of Wage Comparison Reports have been completed. This technical assistance has supported our affiliates in their efforts to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for our members across the 8th District. 

These technical resources and the IAFF’s First Contract Policy have been key to establishing initial contracts throughout the 8th District. Additionally, due in large part to these efforts and the increasing cost of this important work, the IAFF Executive Board raised First Contract Policy support to $7,000. In the majority of first-contract assignments, IAFF 8th District service representatives have used their skill and training to negotiate first contracts without drawing on the IAFF budget. IAFF 8th District service representatives and state association officers have secured most of these contracts without depleting this budget line. This action will go a long way toward helping establish new locals and first contracts in a timely and efficient manner. 

Thank you to the 8th District service representatives for their work in securing those first contracts and forever changing the lives of our members and their families for the better. 

The IAFF Fire and EMS Operations Department continues to support our affiliates through GIS and EMS integration assistance. This service provides reports at a professional consultant level. The work is detailed and requires extensively trained IAFF personnel. IAFF staff works hard to meet the high demand, but the reality is that requests continue to outpace our capacity. 

As 8th District Vice President, my top priority is to create an environment in which service requests are processed in a timely manner and our hard-working staff is not continuously overwhelmed by demand. At the 2024 IAFF Convention, the delegates approved additional analyst positions to support this mission. We expect staff to prepare reports illustrating how adequate staffing improves safety and performance on the fireground. Our efforts to increase internal IAFF staffing have improved our ability to meet objectives within a more manageable timeline. I am proud of the 8th District for supporting adequate IAFF analyst staffing. 

The Strategic Initiatives program has provided an IAFF specialist to assist affiliates with ballot initiatives. Many of these proposals are designed to generate local revenue through tax levy or millage votes, thereby adding the critical staffing needed in our communities for the delivery of fire and Emergency Medical Services. The Strategic Initiatives Department has become an essential part of 8th District operations. Thank you as well to the IAFF Media & Communications Division and the IAFF Governmental Affairs Department for their continued support of these efforts. 

The IAFF Legal Department has been hard at work on behalf of the 8th District, including projects involving the IAFF Legal Guardian Policy, Emergency Disputes Fund (loan/grant) Policy, FLSA Policy, and Legal Opinion Policy. In many cases, the IAFF Legal Department and its programs are a lifeline for affiliate leaders and locals under attack from their employers. The IAFF General Counsel and legal staff are always ready to assist with legal opinions for locals and guidance for me as 8th District Vice President. 

The importance of IAFF support was demonstrated through major victories under IAFF Legal Guardian in Harrodsburg, KY Local 5418 and East Chicago, IN Local 365. Cases involving Chicago Local 2 and Paducah, KY Local 168 are still being processed. Summaries of each case appear below: 

Harrodsburg, KY Local 5418 – resolved (Victory) 

The IAFF General Counsel’s office provided advice, guidance, and representation to two terminated members in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, as a result of their union-organizing efforts. 

On July 18, 2025, after a four-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, an eight-member jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of two local union officers. The jury found that the City of Harrodsburg terminated the plaintiffs for their speech and union activity in violation of the First Amendment and Kentucky law and awarded each plaintiff $500,000 in compensatory damages. 

On September 8, 2025, counsel for the parties reached an agreement to settle the attorneys’ fees dispute. As a result, 100% of the fees paid by the IAFF in this case will be reimbursed. The IAFF’s Emergency Disputes Fund has been reimbursed $453,986.13, which represents the full amount of attorneys’ fees and costs the IAFF expended in this matter. This matter is now resolved. 

East Chicago, IN Local 365 – resolved (Victory) 

In East Chicago Local 365, a federal lawsuit was resolved after the mayor changed fire fighters’ shift schedules in retaliation for the local’s decision not to endorse his reelection campaign. Local 365 prevailed after several years of fighting back and is poised to reclaim its fire department from a mayor who tried to undermine the local and break its resolve. 

Following mediation, the city agreed to pay $1,125,000 to settle the case, with $652,000 returned to the IAFF’s Emergency Disputes Fund. The outcome sends a clear message that political retaliation against fire fighters will not be tolerated. Without Local 365’s tenacity and the IAFF’s assistance, the mayor may have succeeded, but we were not to be denied. 

Chicago Local 2 – pending 

The City of Chicago conducted warrantless searches of the personal vehicles of Local 2 members who worked at Engine 86. IAFF legal counsel conducted a thorough investigation into the claims. 

IAFF legal counsel determined that the City of Chicago conducted the searches of Local 2 members’ personal vehicles without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion that a crime or workplace violation had occurred. IAFF legal counsel filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of 23 members of IAFF Local 2. 

The court issued a ruling on the defendants’ pending motions that dismissed the state-law claims but permitted IAFF Legal to proceed with the federal-law claims and punitive damages claims. During this process, the city implemented revised workplace policies. This new policy further erodes the Fourth Amendment rights of Local 2 members. The policy is a response to the IAFF’s lawsuit and will likely impede an early resolution of this case. The case remains pending. 

Paducah, KY Local 168 – pending 

The Local 168 president was disciplined and eventually terminated for contacting a city commissioner regarding a workplace safety concern. IAFF Legal sent a pushback letter to the mayor.  

President Torian was investigated for allegedly referring incorrectly to the title of a battalion chief over the radio at an active fire scene. Upon returning to work from medical leave, President Torian was suspended with a recommendation for termination, and the City Commission upheld the termination. IAFF legal counsel filed a lawsuit on behalf of President Torian in federal district court for the Western District of Kentucky. 

Mingo Junction, OH Local 3714 – pending 
The local president requested Guardian Coverage after the Mayor of Mingo Junction refused to honor three grievance settlements granting reinstatement to three union members, including himself and the local secretary. IAFF Legal Counsel filed a complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio alleging First Amendment retaliation claims and a breach of contract claims. The IAFF filed an opposition in response to the Village’s motion for summary judgment.   

It is evident that 8th District locals have benefited from the Legal Guardian Program. Additional cases have been won through arbitration or mediation. Because delegates have supported important programs such as IAFF Legal Guardian, IAFF affiliates can rest assured that we have their backs. 

Currently, three 8th District affiliates are seeking legal remedies under the IAFF FLSA Policy with several others completing FLSA Legal reviews. The IAFF Legal Department has assisted in dozens of other matters requiring a legal opinion or other guidance for local affiliates.  

These programs have been vital in our locals’ efforts to defend themselves against misguided employers. Whether the issue is refusing to bargain in good faith, failing to honor or implement an award from the table, or terminating a local leader for doing their job, IAFF Legal Services is there to fight back. Thanks to IAFF General Counsel and the entire IAFF Legal Department for their continued support of our locals here in the 8^th District, and to our delegates for committing to fund these vital programs. 

The locals of the 8th District have also heavily relied on the services of the GST’s Operations Division in a variety of ways. From reinstating EINs with the IRS to creating financial policies, locals have become financially stronger by using these valuable services.  

The 8th District Partnership in Education Program (PEP) began in 2012 with the goal of providing two days of training annually for local union officers. Since the program’s inception, thousands of affiliate leaders representing locals throughout the 8^th District have attended the training. With a historical average of 250 to 300 district attendees annually, this program has been a great success here and throughout the IAFF. 

Once again, the 2025 8th District Conference was a great success, with nearly 300 attendees. Indianapolis and the 8th District gave a warm welcome to the IAFF principal officers and senior staff. The program was met with great enthusiasm and delivered the desired results. Attendees gave it positive reviews, and affiliate leaders came away with a better understanding of the services provided by the IAFF. They were also given a unique opportunity to put faces with the names of the IAFF staff representatives they work with to make things happen. We look forward to the next 8th District Conference in 2027. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank General President Kelly, General Secretary-Treasurer Líma, the IAFF senior staff, and everyone at IAFF Headquarters for their work on behalf of the members of the 8th District. Every day, someone at the IAFF is working for one of our affiliates on a project that benefits a local affiliate and, in turn, the members it serves. Thank you for your incredible work on our behalf. 

Once again, thank you to the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, the Professional Fire Fighters Union of Indiana, the Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters, the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union, and the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters for the work and collaboration it takes to keep this IAFF moving forward. 

As we prepare to attend the IAFF’s 58th Biennial Convention, we are ready to take action on the important issues before us. This work will continue to advance our profession and protect our members and their families. It has been the charge of the IAFF throughout our history. We can be proud of our work and of the legacy we leave for those we represent and those who will follow us in this most noble profession. 

I look forward to representing the IAFF and the 8th District as a first-time delegate to the 2026 AFL-CIO National Convention. Thank you to General President Kelly for this opportunity to participate in the House of Labor’s proceedings. I also look forward to reconnecting with old friends from my Central Labor Body and State Fed and recognizing those who support us. 

I am humbled, grateful, and honored to have the opportunity to represent IAFF members in the 8th District. You are trade union leaders, all providing unparalleled service to our affiliates and representing our members every day. We have some of the best union leaders the House of Labor has to offer. I am proud to be part of this great union. My thanks to all of you for your support of this Great Eighth District. 

Good luck and good health to all.