IAFF leaders showcased their collective bargaining victories across the Southern U.S. this week as they united in Atlanta for the 30th annual Southern Federation of Professional Fire Fighters conference.
General President Edward A. Kelly gave the opening address Wednesday morning, encouraging delegates to continue their fight for collective bargaining.
“The battle for collective bargaining is going to be won state by state, and we’re seeing successes across the board that’s being driven by local leadership, with support from the IAFF,” said Kelly. “People are being persecuted for standing up for their rights, but that’s the price of speaking truth to power. Nobody is going to fight for us except ourselves.”
In 1994, delegates to the IAFF Convention in Detroit adopted a resolution to make national collective bargaining the union’s top legislative priority. The resolution was reaffirmed by delegates to the IAFF’s 2016 Convention.
But with ongoing gridlock in Washington, the IAFF started to take a new approach – securing collective bargaining rights state by state, city by city, and town by town.
The Southern Federation of Professional Fire Fighters was first organized in 1995 with the explicit goal of helping Southern Locals navigate this process and secure their rights to work under negotiated contracts. Since its inception, 19 states have joined the federation.
The battle for collective bargaining is going to be won state by state, and we’re seeing successes across the board that’s being driven by local leadershop, with support from the IAFF.
General President Edward Kelly
The Southern Federation has played a key role in many of the recent collective bargaining victories across the region.
In his remarks to delegates, Southern Federation President Ed Jaros highlighted the many Southern affiliates who have used their state’s laws to place ballot initiatives to secure collective bargaining rights.
“The IAFF has made the investments to give state associations and locals the tools they need to increase collective bargaining rights for their fire fighters,” said Jaros. “Years ago, we didn’t have a lot of guidance on how to do this. Now, we have people at International who can provide expertise and training. It’s what we’ve been hoping and asking for, and now it’s being delivered.”
While federal legislation to guarantee collective bargaining for fire fighters is still a top priority for the IAFF, the state-by-state approach has yielded major victories for Locals looking for a seat at the negotiating table.
Many IAFF affiliates in states like Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas have all secured collective bargaining this year.
Just last month, Atlanta Professional Firefighters Local 134 – one of the largest IAFF Locals in the South – won a representation election with 97 percent of members voting in support. Using the Georgia Firefighters Mediation Act, the Local will now move forward in negotiations for the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department’s first-ever collective bargaining agreement.
While IAFF affiliates have made great strides in securing collective bargaining rights for members, there’s still work to be done.
The IAFF has made the investments to give state associations and locals the tools they need to increase collective bargaining rights for fire fighters.
Southern Federation of Professional fire fighters President Ed jaros
Nearly half of U.S. states don’t guarantee fire fighters collective bargaining rights with binding arbitration. While North Carolina remains the only state in the nation that outlaws collective bargaining altogether, many states work to prevent fire fighters from collectively bargaining by making the process incredibly complex.
IAFF Locals and state associations are encouraged to use the resources provided by International to learn about the collective bargaining process, the benefits negotiated contracts bring to IAFF members, and how their state laws can give firefighters a seat at the table.
To learn more about the IAFF’s work to advance collective bargaining rights for its members, click here.
