Convention Call

Local unions with a membership of 100 or less shall be entitled to one delegate. Locals with a membership exceeding 100 shall be entitled to delegates as follows:

State and provincial associations and joint councils duly chartered by this Association shall be entitled to two delegates at International Conventions provided any per capita tax or portion of fees due to the International on individual members admitted to such subordinate unions is current as required by Article XIV, Section 4.

To be entitled to representation by its delegates at Convention, a local union must pay its per capita tax on its full membership as required by the IAFF Constitution & By-Laws, Article XIII, Section 2, provided, however, that representation and voting strength of the local union shall be allocated on the basis of the average amount of per capita tax paid monthly by the local from April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

For local unions not in existence for the full 12 months preceding March 31, 2024, per capita tax paid will be averaged over the period of their existence monthly. 

All per capita taxes and Emergency Disputes Fund (EDF) loans must be paid in full through the month of June 2024 to be entitled to representation at Convention.

WHO CAN BE A DELEGATE OR ALTERNATE: Delegates and alternates to International Conventions must be members in good standing of the local union, state or provincial association, or joint council from which they hold credentials or International officers who shall be delegates-at-large by virtue of their office.

Local unions are reminded that the International Constitution & By-Laws requires that the credentials presented by the delegates and alternates must certify that they have been elected by secret ballot vote of the members in good standing of the local (Article XIII, Section 15).

Under Article IV, Section 4 of the International Constitution & By-Laws, all delegates or alternates representing state or provincial associations or joint councils must be elected in either one of two ways: (1) by secret ballot of the members in good standing of all the local unions comprising the state or provincial association or the joint council in which case the delegates of such subordinate organizations shall be entitled to a voice and vote and full participation in the convention proceedings including the election of International officers; or (2) by secret ballot vote of the local union delegates of the state or provincial association or joint council in which case delegates so elected shall be entitled to a voice and vote in all convention proceedings except the right to participate in the election of International officers.

This is a requirement of law under the Landrum-Griffin Act and also applies to our International officers who are delegates-at-large. ALL DELEGATE CREDENTIALS MUST CERTIFY BY WHICH METHOD THE DELEGATES WERE ELECTED.

The IAFF urges advanced registration payments to avoid long lines at convention.

Convention ID badges must be picked up by 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. Past this deadline, a floor vote by the delegates is required before a delegate may be seated.  

ALTERNATE CREDENTIALS: If an affiliate elects to send alternate delegates to the Convention, only one alternate per delegate is permitted. 

Local unions of 200 members or less who do not send a delegate to the Convention may be represented by a delegate by giving its proxy to that delegate. In addition, such local unions may also select an alternate delegate to carry the proxy in the event the first delegate is unable to attend.

The following conditions must be observed if the proxy method is to be used:

The procedures for authorizing a proxy apply to the selection of a principal delegate as well as to the selection of a second alternate delegate (if any). Nominees must be named delegates of another local union in the District that has already elected such delegates to go to the Convention. Nominations may be made at any meeting of the local union, but a notice of when nominations will be held must be given and notice of the date, time, and place of election must be mailed to its membership at least 15 days in advance of such election. Nominations and elections may be held at the same meeting provided the mailed notice has been sent at least 15 days in advance of the meeting. The election must be conducted by secret ballot, but if only one delegate is nominated to carry the proxy (and if only one delegate is nominated as an alternate delegate to carry the proxy) it is not necessary to conduct the election. No local union delegate may accept proxies to represent membership in excess of 200 and provided further, that in no event shall the total of proxy votes carried by all delegates within a local union exceed 300. Proxy voting shall be permitted only in a roll call vote and shall be cast by the delegate carrying the proxy. (Article IV, Section 2, IAFF Constitution and By-Laws).

Payment of registration fees is required when completing the credentialing process. The following charges will be levied as registration fees:

    $700 (U.S.)    Each delegate and alternate delegate

    $150 (U.S.)    Each non-delegate IAFF member

Register family guests here. (Convention badges are required for guests for all events and must be picked up by the credentialed delegate/alternate).

Amendments to the International Constitution & By-Laws or resolutions for Convention action may be submitted only by local unions, state and provincial associations, joint councils of this Association, International officers, Executive Board, or by the delegates at International Conventions as hereafter provided.

Amendments or resolutions proposed by a local union, state, provincial association, joint council, International officers, or the Executive Board shall be subject to adoption by a majority vote of the delegates present and voting at a biennial convention.

Other than censure resolutions, all resolutions to be considered by any Convention of this Association must be received by the International General Secretary-Treasurer no later than 50 days immediately preceding the opening of the Convention (by 5 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 7, 2024). Resolution 16, adopted at the 2000 Convention, also allows affiliates to submit copies of resolutions by email. Any resolutions received not complying with these deadlines will be returned. If you wish to email your resolution, please forward to [email protected]. In emergency situations, defined as a situation occurring between the 50-day period immediately preceding the Convention and the Convention itself, including the days during which it is in session, emergency resolutions may be received only upon unanimous consent of the Convention delegates.

All resolutions, accompanied by a cost factor summary statement – if applicable – prepared by the General Secretary-Treasurer, will be made available to the membership electronically prior to Convention.    

CENSURE RESOLUTIONS: Any resolution that seeks to censure, condemn, or otherwise criticize any person, including fire department personnel or entity, must be submitted in draft form 60 days prior to the Convention (by 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 27, 2024) for review by the General President, who shall, if deemed necessary, rewrite the draft resolution to remove any language therein that may be considered defamatory or libelous and who shall return the resolution as modified to the affiliate for its review and approval. If you wish to email your resolution, please forward to [email protected]. Any resolution that is modified in this manner shall be submitted for consideration and action by the Convention delegates only if the sponsoring affiliate first approves of the resolution in its modified form. A certain time is set aside at the Convention for discussion and voting by the Convention delegates on the censure motions, and this time shall be included in the Rules of Order.

All non-per capita amendments shall become operative immediately upon their adoption by the delegates unless otherwise expressly provided.

The Convention will take place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Visit the Travel and Lodging to review hotel rates and make reservations.