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District Vice President Reports

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BILL ROMAKA1ST DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with Article VI, Section 3 ofThe International Association of Firefighters’Constitution and By-Laws, I respectfullysubmit this report of my activity as the 1stDistrict Vice President to the General

President, General Secretary-Treasurer, the IAFF Executive Board,and all officers and delegates inattendance at this, the 52nd Convention of the IAFF being heldin Cincinnati, Ohio. This report contains a summary of myactivities from August, 2012 through June, 2014.Since the 51st Convention, I have attended all Executive Boardmeetings and have fulfilled all assignments given to me by theGeneral President. At the discretion of the General President, Ihave served on the following committees: the Health andSafety/Redmond Foundation (Chairman), the Employee Benefitsand Human Resources Committee, the Budget and FinanceCommittee, the Pension and Health Care Resource Committee,the Government and Political Affairs Committee and theOrganizing and Field Services Committee (Vice Chairman). Ihave served on numerous occasions as a member of the IAFFExecutive Board Pre-Trial Review Board.I have attended and represented the IAFF 1st District atnumerous wakes and funerals of our IAFF membership duringthese last two years as a mark of respect. They include, but are notlimited to Boston, Peekskill, Prescott, Houston, Yonkers and manyothers.I have attended all committee meetings and discharged all dutiesrequired by virtue of these assignments. Since the last IAFF 1stDistrict Convention Report, the International has issued chartersto seven new locals in the 1st District. The locals that have joinedour IAFF family are Local 4907, Fishers Professional Fire FightersAssociation (NY); Local 4924, Colonie Professional Fire FightersAssociation (NY); Local 4928 Pleasantville Fire OfficersAssociation (NJ); Local 4954, Plainsboro Professional FireFighters Association (NJ); Local 4959, Uniformed Fire AlarmDispatchers Benevolent Association (NY); Local 4971, MacArthurAirport Fire Rescue (NY); and Industrial 0091, Knoll AtomicPower Laboratory Professional Fire Fighters (NY). With theassistance of my state field representatives and my stateassociations, these locals have been helped during the early stagesas members and our District continues to grow, despite theconstant battles that continue to plague our profession and themiddle class in the 1st District.There continues to be a climate of attacks on our pensions andhealth care benefits. It is for this reason that we need to remainvigilant in our efforts to be part of the discussion on possiblesolutions to our municipal struggles. It was said before and will besaid again: if you are not part of the solution, you are perceived tobe the problem! It remains important to engage your departmentsand local leaders at the earliest possible time. I appreciate theefforts of our local leaders who have engaged their retiree groupsto assist them in these fights as their benefits remain at risk also.I have championed the IAFF to take a more active approach toletting our affiliates be aware of the proliferation of

tax exemptions and tax abatements that are crippling ourmunicipalities’ ability to pay our pensions and health care. Theseprograms are handed out to those who continue to make politicalcontributions with no regard to the financial consequences thatare put on the middle class to make up for these shortfalls. Ofcourse, there is that obnoxious and arbitrary 2% cap thatincreases the pressure for continued layoffs and freezing of wages,even though our own expenses continue to rise, led by energycosts due to the long, cold winter we have just experienced.It was my desire to address our critics face to face that led me toset up meetings with EJ McMahon from the Empire Center, whichis a right-wing think tank. The objective was to educate himabout our issues, pay and benefits. Since I have a background inaccounting, and did personal tax returns for over 30 years, Ibrought a unique prospective to these meetings. The first thing weagreed on was the need for there to be more dialogue between themunicipalities and the labor leaders throughout the state. Thereare areas where we agreed to disagree, but I believe the exchangeshave helped to change his thoughts on the constant attack on ourpensions and health care, or at least give him a differentperspective. This relationship will continue to be of help to allour affiliates.Both of my state organizations continue to work with me andare extremely active in fighting the attacks on our pensions andhealth care benefits. New York State Professional Fire FightersAssociation (NYSPFFA) President Michael McManus is alongtime union leader and great friend. Under his and hisExecutive Board’s leadership, our statewide leadership continuesto participate in state-sponsored health and safety educationalseminars, labor studies classes and legislative conferences gearedon supporting their efforts at the state offices in Albany. They alsowork closely with the New York State Public EmployeesConference (PEC), AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento and all theNew York police unions in an effort to form a needed coalition tofight some of these mean-spirited legislative attempts to attack us.They continue to provide legal advice as needed to locals whomight not have the means to hire their own attorney. PresidentMcManus’s daily interaction with my office and his vigilance withhis legislators on Capitol Hill allow the NYSPFFA a distinctadvantage when dealing with the problems facing all of our locals.In New Jersey, Professional Fire Fighters Association of NewJersey (PFFANJ) President Dominick Marino continues to be theguiding force behind the PFFANJ and his Executive Board. Hecontinues to face coordinated efforts and attacks from hisgovernor on our members’ pension and health care benefits.However, he has kept the lines of communication open with manyof the legislators who try and support our initiatives. Thegovernor is once again attempting to balance the state budget onthe backs of the working class families, by neglecting to make hisagreed-upon contribution to our members’ pension fund.President Marino has done an outstanding job of battling thisblatantly anti-labor governor by pressing legal action andlegislation which can address these unacceptable demands on ourmembers and their families. He has built coalitions with our otherlabor leaders as one of the best ways to fight against thesedraconian cuts. It is my hope that his leadership will see thewisdom and work to get all of our New Jersey firefighters together

VICE PRESIDENTS’ REPORTS

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as one. He has the full support of my office and the IAFF.My District Field Service Representatives and my StateRepresentatives have been invaluable to me while assisting me inrunning the District for my first two years. They do a great job inthe field and continue to service the needs of our members intheir respective regions, while also actively organizing new localsfor the IAFF. They help keep me connected to what is happeningin the field and see to it that our members’ needs are being takencare of. They are a valuable part of our IAFF Leadership Team,and I appreciate their efforts.Let us not forget that it is the local leadership that continues toserve the needs of our members while sacrificing time away fromtheir own families. It is often a thankless job, as many of ourmembers don’t understand what the union can and cannot do forits membership. It gets even more complicated with our newmembers who are often distracted due to all the new technologiesthey have. However, remember that without your efforts, all of uswould suffer severely. Not everyone has the ability to step up andlead. Without your leadership, our members’ health, safety, rightsand futures would not be protected. Many hard decisions have tobe made, and it is your memberships’ futures that you strive toprotect and preserve. It is very much appreciated that youembrace your leadership role and help lead us through the presentand into the future.I would be remiss if I did not take the time to properly thankand show my appreciation for our extremely capable IAFF staff. Ihave never worked with a more diligent group of individuals whowork with me to timely address our affiliates’ needs and requests.They do a great job in quickly and efficiently answering any callsfor assistance. Whether it is a legal question, a Municipal FinancialAnalysis, a GIS Study, a health and safety question, or a questionabout a SAFER Grant, they always answer the bell, and ourmembership is better off due to their efforts. Their dedication issecond to none. I look forward to working with them for all ourmembers’ needs.Finally, I would like to thank the IAFF Executive Board whichcontinues to persevere through these difficult times with acommitment and dedication unparalleled. Led by GeneralPresident Harold A. Schaitberger and General Secretary-TreasurerThomas Miller, along with our 16 District Vice Presidents, wehave been able to address the variety of issues facing our localsacross the United States and Canada. I have learned a lot and willcontinue to learn from these unique labor leaders who come fromso many backgrounds and have such diverse circumstances toaddress. We always remain focused on the memberships we serve.The General President has and continues to do all that I requestfor the 1st District. Whether it was writing a letter to a governoror showing up in Buffalo to give support for the quest for anoverdue contract, he has always answered the call. This leadershipteam has also been instrumental in securing funding for theSAFER Program which has saved many of our members’ jobs. Ilook forward to working with all these great labor leaders nowand in the future.To all the delegates and attendees at this the 52nd IAFFConvention, I hope you have an enjoyable and productive week aswe work together to do what is in the best interest of ourmembers and their families. Stay well, and stay safe.

MARK WOOLBRIGHT2ND DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

The last two years in the 2nd District havebeen extremely busy and challenging. It hasbeen a true pleasure to have had so manyopportunities to work with the affiliates andstate organizations. I feel the district is

working very well together to overcome our challengesthroughout our four states. With a collective effort and atremendous 2nd District staff we will continue to fight theconcerns presented to us by the lasting economic downturnstarting years ago. To date, we have largely been able to avoidsignificant proposed cuts and anti-labor legislative challenges thatseem to be the radical agenda seen throughout the country.

IOWA

At the time of this writing, the Iowa legislature has not yetadjourned for this year, and as far as last year, we really sufferedno loses. It appears we may have escaped any serious harm, inparticular our pension system. Although some bills wereintroduced that would have had an impact on the system, it isunlikely they will get through the legislature. Having said that,momentum is building for changes in our system, which iscurrently a defined benefit system.When it comes to our locals, a few of them are battlingreductions in manpower. Many are fighting contract issues withthe IPFF assisting not only with manpower, but with the use ofour legal defense fund. This year in particular we have seen anincrease in requests from our locals for money to help fight thesebattles. President Scofiled would like to offer a huge thanks to the2nd District and the IAFF for all the help and resources theyprovided in these battles.Lastly, but certainly more important than any issue we are facing,we lost one of our local Presidents this year. President Tom Peart,Fort Madison Local 622, died unexpectedly of a heart attack this lastMarch. Tom was a strong union leader and will be greatly missed.

NEBRASKA

Since the last Convention, Nebraska has continued to see growthin the IAFF. Papillion Local 3767 was contracted to take over fireand EMS for an adjoining city, La Vista, Nebraska. This added 12members to Local 3767 and it is expected that the local will seeadditional personnel to keep up with the needs of thecommunity. The NPFFA organized our first EMS organization.Hamilton County EMS Association was organized as IAFF Local4956. The county board challenged whether the captains shouldbe included in the bargaining unit and Local 4956 prevailed. Aftera vote of the proposed members, the Nebraska Commission ofIndustrial Relations certified them as a bargaining unit. With theassistance of 2nd District Vice President Mark Woolbright and theIAFF, Bellevue Local 4906 was awarded a much needed SAFERgrant to increase its personnel.The NPFFA is continuing to work on changing the Fire FighterFirst Class Retirement from a defined contribution plan to adefined benefit plan. In 1984, the state changed the retirementplan from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan,essentially promising those covered by the plan the same if not

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better benefits. After years of experience, it has been proven thatthis plan is not performing close to the previous defined benefitplan, and change is necessary. Other legislation that is beingpursued is increased penalties for persons who assault fire andEMS personnel while performing their duties, as well as opposinglegislation that decreases workers’ compensation benefits. TheNebraska legislature has 17 open seats as a result of term limitsthis year. The NPFFA is committed to being engaged in theseelections and working to elect candidates endorsed by the NPFFA.

KANSAS

During the 2013 legislative session, we saw increased pensionbenefit for Kansas Police & Fire (KP&F) members from 80%maximum to 90% maximum of final average salary.In 2014, we saw increased pension benefit coverage regardingpresumptive heart, lung, and respiratory coverage for KP&F members.Although, not to be fooled, 2014 saw teachers lose all dueprocess rights regarding discipline and termination issues. Kansasteachers will not receive an investigative hearing for termination ifGovernor Brownback signs the bill.Lastly, this year the Kansas fire fighters continued to have held theirown regarding continued attacks on workers’ compensation laws.

MISSOURI

Missouri saw a change in the leadership in both the House andSenate. This has resulted in not only a large amount of ALEC billsbeing filed, but the bills actually moving through the House ofRepresentatives. “Right to Work,” “Paycheck Protection” and “StatePension Plan Reform” are some of the most notable. Labor has takena new (and effective) approach to their lobbying effort on theseissues, due in large part to the guidance of District Vice PresidentWoolbright and MSCFF Legislative Director Mark Habbas.While a significant amount of time has been allocated to thefights and defensive posture, a great success was achieved for allMSCFF members in the 2013 session. The “Firefighters’ PoliticalFreedom Bill” was passed and signed into legislation by thegovernor. This bill guarantees our members the ability to run forelected office and be politically active without fear of losing theirjobs. Many Hatch Act provisions in many jurisdictions previouslylimited this ability, and several members were threatened withtermination for simply speaking to an elected official.The 2014 session has been volatile with the anti-labor agenda inthe House. “Right to Work” was debated in the House, and the billhad enough votes for “perfection.” As of this time it still does nothave enough votes to be “truly passed.” ”Paycheck Protection”passed the House and currently sits in the Senate. Makingimprovements to and renewing the line-of-duty death benefit arethe priority for the session.Outside of the legislature, the Missouri Supreme Court handeddown a large decision in favor of public employee collectivebargaining. This decision came at the end of 2012. The end resulthas been that a vast number of our affiliates that previously didnot have the ability to collectively bargain, now do. This hasmeant that a lot of contracts are being negotiated simultaneously,some which required court action to bring people to the table.The progress has been substantial and continues to move forward.Lastly, we unfortunately lost Rolla Local 3905 President SteveHuffman due to a vehicle accident.

A.MICHAEL MULLANE3RD DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the IAFF Constitutionand By-Laws, I respectfully submit a reportof my activities as 3rd District Vice President.During this term, I attended all ExecutiveBoard and Committee Meetings to which I

have been appointed. These last two years have been extremelychallenging and the 3rd District membership has been vigilant inmeeting these many challenges. We continue to work in fightingagainst the attacks to reduce our benefits and for a saferworkplace for all firefighters. The fight will go on. I thank theentire 3rd District membership for the support in thesechallenging times. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks toPatty Damigella in the Local 718 office for her help during myentire career as 3rd District Vice President. Patty is always there toassist me in helping 3rd District members.

CONNECTICUT

The Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of Connecticutcontinues to provide a wide range of services to its affiliatedlocals. The state organization is comprised of three PrincipalOfficers, seven District Vice Presidents, three elected Trustees, aDirector of Legislative Affairs, a Director of Information andResearch, an Executive Secretary and two Executive Assistants tothe President. The organization’s office is based at 30 ShermanStreet in West Hartford. The organization also consists of five staffrepresentatives, a legal team and lobbying firm, all working in acoordinated level to provide the best service to Connecticut’saffiliated locals.The state organization meets regularly at quarterly delegates’meetings and monthly Executive Board meetings all with thepurpose of ensuring an outstanding flow of information andservice to all affiliated locals in the state. The state organizationconducts labor management meetings, bringing together localpresidents and fire chiefs. These meetings have proven to be verysuccessful, and have an established labor-management task forcecomprised of several local presidents and several fire chiefs toassist in any problems. This task force has had positive results.Also, the state association continues to provide educationalconferences each year on timely issues to the fire service and labormovement. Connecticut has made it a high priority to provideeducation to all of its affiliated locals, which is why the leadershipand staff continue to meet with local presidents and rank and filemembers at local union meetings. A complete PowerPointpresentation on the services provided by the state union is shownand then an informal question-and-answer period takes placeconcerning issues on the local, state and national levels. The stateassociation not only talks about the services provided by the stateand the IAFF, but also provides the information to the rank andfile members on their responsibilities of being a good unionmember. The state association also meets with new recruits alongwith the Connecticut Career Fire Chiefs at the Connecticut FireAcademy.The organization’s state convention was held this past year inDanbury and hosted by Local 801. In attendance were theGovernor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General,Secretary of the State, Speaker of the House of Representatives

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and President of the Senate, in addition to many state and localdignitaries. Also attending were Senator Richard Blumenthal,Senator Chris Murphy, and Representatives Larson, Courtney,DeLauro, Himes and Esty. General President Harold Schaitbergerand General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Miller also attended.The UPFFA of Connecticut continues to hold seats on the StateFire Prevention and Control Commission, State EMS Council,State USAR Team and several other positions appointed by theGovernor and legislative leadership. The State Presidentrepresents the organization as a Vice President of the ConnecticutAFL-CIO.This past year Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine fire fighters came togetherfor a jointly sponsored MDA Boot Camp at Mohegan Sun whichwas very well attended by representatives from locals in all fivestates. Connecticut IAFF locals raised $286,000 in 2012 and$335,000 in 2013. President Carozza serves each year as the MDATelethon Chairman each Labor Day weekend and hosts statedignitaries and contributors to the event and works with MDAthroughout the year.The state association continues to organize new locals andcontinues to do an outstanding job in providing service to itsaffiliated locals under the direction of Secretary Louis DeMici andhis staff, who provide quality service to locals in all areas ofcollective bargaining, despite the growing fiscal problems andhuge attacks by towns and cities on issues concerning pensions,medical benefits, wages and manning. Backed up by strong legalcounsel, the state association has proven its commitment toproviding excellent service to its members. The state association’sservicing staff saves affiliated locals in Connecticut thousands ofdollars each year.The state association also had very successful sessions in the statelegislature since our last Convention. Director of LegislativeAffairs Paul Rapanault, with his committee and staff, did anoutstanding job in the state house tracking hundreds of bills thatwould have had an adverse effect on fire fighters and publicemployees. The state association continues to kill anti-fire fighterbills, such as changes to Collective Bargaining and BindingArbitration, with the help of affiliated local leaders and theirmembers. Without the daily presence of the state association atthe Capitol, all Connecticut locals would face very severeproblems.More importantly, the state association was very successful inobtaining and protecting new laws that protect fire fighters inConnecticut such as Ryan White[c1], “Move Over Law,”additional presumptive protections for cardiac disease, protectionfor retiree health care benefits, and recently adding protection toConnecticut fire fighters concerning hepatitis, meningococcalmeningitis, tuberculosis, Kahler’s Disease, non-Hodgkin’slymphoma and prostrate or testicular cancer. The state associationhas aggressively pursued protection for Connecticut fire fightersby establishing a state-wide medical trust and pension system toprotect its members.In addition to the state association’s strong influence in the statecapital, the program that has changed the thinking of manylegislators is the Fire Ops 101 program, which is conducted eachyear before the legislative session for state elected officials. Theyearly event is attended by state legislators and members of thepress and broadcast media. “This program has proven to be anexcellent way to demonstrate what our members face each and

every day,” says state President Peter Carozza.The UPFFA also participated in Fire Service Day at the Capitol,an annual event showcasing Connecticut’s Fire Service. Membersfrom affiliated locals not only set up and operated static displays,but lobbied legislators on the organization’s legislative agenda. Inaddition to these programs, each year during the legislativesession the state association holds a legislative conference, abreakfast and reception, all with full days of education andlobbying by the leadership of Connecticut’s IAFF locals.Connecticut affiliated locals were represented at the annualLegislative Conference in Washington, D.C. delegates not only metwith staff, but also attended a legislative breakfast hosted by thestate association. Connecticut’s senators and five representativesattended this annual breakfast. “We were very pleased that ourlobbying efforts continue to assist the IAFF and our brothers andsisters across the country,” says President Peter Carozza. TheUPFFA continues to schedule follow-up meetings with theirrepresentatives back home and makes a point to have thesemeetings in fire stations across the state so rank and file memberscan participate. The state association has been and will continueto be very involved in national, state and local electionssupporting candidates who support fire fighters.The UPFFA website, www.upffa.org, continues to be a vital linkand avenue of communication with its members. The stateassociation also has developed its own mobile app, Facebook andTwitter pages.I want to thank President Carozza, the officers, staff andleadership of all the affiliated locals for what they do to protectConnecticut’s fire fighters.

MAINE

IAFF members have seen a number of changes since our lastConvention. On the political front, the overall landscape movedto a more favorable position for the state. In 2010, Republicansgained control of the Maine House, Senate and the Governor’soffice.They came after unions with four Right to Work bills, which wewere able to defeat with our friends from the Maine AFL-CIO.However, our Workers’ Compensation statute took a huge hit thataffected the most seriously injured workers.With the strong support and help from the IAFF, theProfessional Fire Fighters of Maine (PFFM) put a significanteffort into the fall 2012 elections. With boots on the ground andhelp from all our locals, the Maine House and Senate returned tothe control of the majority of Democrats. This gave us a firewallagainst Republican Governor Paul LePage, whose anti-unionstance and rhetoric is well-known nationally. With the help of ourfriends in the Maine House and Senate, the state was able to pushoff any legislation proposed by the governor or his allies thatwould do further harm to our union.In the fall election, Republican Senator Olympia Snowe decidednot to run for re-election. Senator Snowe was a trusted friend ofour union. Senator Snowe was a co-sponsor of the IAFF’scollective bargaining bill and was instrumental in gaining passageof the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Shewas always there for us and never wavered in her support. She willbe missed.With the U.S. Senate seat vacant, the PFFM and IAFF supportedformer Independent Governor Angus King. The PFFM met with

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the three candidates running, and it was clear that King deservedour support. The PFFM endorsed early in the campaign and wasthe first union (also one of the few) to get behind his bid. King is along-time Harley rider and the PFFM Motorcycle Group did acampaign ride up the coast with King at the lead, stopping at IAFFfirehouses along the way. In the three-way race as an independent,King won the seat with close vote.In the upcoming 2014 elections, it is the goal of the PFFM toretain control of the Maine House and Senate and to ensureGovernor Paul LePage does not return to office.Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud is running againstLePage and the PFFM and IAFF have endorsed his candidacy.Independent Elliot Cutler is also running, making this anotherthree-way race, which is how LePage won the last time with justover 38% of the vote. The state association will be working hardto ensure Michaud succeeds and a union friend returns to theGovernor’s office in Maine. Also, Senator Susan Collins is runningfor re-election. Senator Collins has been one of this union’s mostardent supporters while in office, and she will have the continuedbacking of the both the PFFM and IAFF. We will do all that wecan to make sure her campaign is successful.The IAFF came to the assistance of Augusta Local 1650 with thehelp of the Guardian Policy. In fact finding with the Maine LaborRelations Board, a favorable ruling was received aroundMandatory Bargaining issues in their contract. The city refused tohonor the rulings and appealed the decision in District Court.The IAFF provided legal representation through Douglas Steele,of Woodley and McGillivary, and the local prevailed at that level.The city still refused to honor the decision and appealed to theMaine Supreme Court. Mr. Steele presented the case before theSupreme Court and Augusta Local 1650 prevailed. This was alandmark decision around the area of a contract’s static statusquo. The decision impacted not only Augusta’s contract rights butalso any bargaining unit in Maine that has a collective bargainingagreement.The PFFM and IAFF also saw a new charter put in place forHampden Local 4903. Nine new members were organized withinthe local, and they were assisted with their first contract by thePFFM.PFFM Staff Representative Bob Bourgault retired this pastJanuary. Bob has served as the labor advisor and contractnegotiator for well over twenty years. His knowledge of Mainelabor law and skill at the negotiating table were true assets to theorganization and our members. He has made our job safer andensured we get the benefits we deserve when sitting down at thebargaining table. We wish him well in his retirement. The PFFM isfortunate to have former PFFM 1st DVP Michael Crouse now takeover the role as Staff Representative. As a former member of LocalF-123, IAFF 16th DVP and Chief of Staff for the GeneralPresident, Michael brings a true range of experience to the job.The PFFM is a full-service organization, and he will be able tohandle the many facets required from grievances to contractnegotiations.The PFFM is also embarking on the prospect of a longitudinalcancer study on Maine IAFF fire fighters. The state association ispartnering with Dr. Susan Shaw of Blue Hill, Maine, whocompleted a recent pilot cancer study on 12 San Francisco FireDepartment IAFF members. The results showed alarming levels offlame-retardants and other known carcinogens in the blood andurine of the fire fighters after working a fire. From 2002 through

2012, of all the reported line-of-duty deaths to the IAFF, 56percent are due to cancer. This is unacceptable. It is hoped thatthis study will show a direct relation between firefighting and theincreased rate of cancer among our members. Dr. Shaw hasrecently applied for a $1.2 million grant from FEMA through theFire Prevention and Safety Grant application, and the IAFF haswritten a of letter of support. We are hopeful to receive funding,as this would be the first cancer study approved under thisprogram. Much has happened in the past two years, some goodand some bad, but our members have continued to move forwardand do their jobs in a safe and professional manner. We honorthose sisters and brothers who we have lost since our lastConvention and pray for their families and loved ones.

MASSACHUSETTS

In 2012, the PFFM played a critical role in the campaign to electU.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Throughout the state, PFFMmembers held signs, knocked on doors, and traveled to rallies inthe “Firefighters for Warren” bus to deliver the message that shewas the right candidate for us. She defeated Republicanincumbent Scott Brown, who had a poor labor voting record,including being the decisive vote in the Homeland SecurityCommittee to abolish the SAFER and FIRE Act. Senator Warrencredited the PFFM with making the difference in the campaignand commended the PFFM for the groundwork the organizationdid for the campaign.• Elections: In addition to the success of Senator Warren’scampaign, the PFFM witnessed victories of endorsed candidatesthroughout the state. Overall, PFFM-endorsed candidates werevictorious in 40 out of the 42 elections across Massachusetts.Victories during the 2012 election season included CongressmenJohn Tierney, William Keating and Joseph Kennedy III. In 2013, aspecial election took place in Massachusetts to fill the U.S. Senateseat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry. ThePFFM-endorsed, now Senator Ed Markey went up againstRepublican hedge fund manager Gabriel Gomez. Senator Markeyhad nearly a 100% labor voting record while in Congress, and hasbeen a friend of the PFFM since his time in the MassachusettsState House. The PFFM was victorious in many municipalelections, including the election of Marty Walsh as mayor ofBoston. This victory was a win for labor throughout the U.S. 2014will be a busy year for the PFFM, as there are contested races formost of the constitutional officers and many friends in thelegislature have or are retiring this year. The PFFM will also have apresence at the June Democratic State Convention, as manymembers were chosen as delegates.• Pensions: The Massachusetts Public Employee RetirementAdministration Commission made an attempt to eliminateannual sick time and vacation buybacks from being pensionable.Through the efforts of the PFFM and a coalition of unions inMassachusetts, that effort was halted and vacation and sickbuybacks remain pensionable.• Residency: The PFFM was successful in passing amendmentsto Massachusetts state laws relative to residency requirements forfire fighters. Prior to this success, Massachusetts General LawsChapter 31, Section SOA stipulated that, for Civil ServiceDepartments, fire fighters must live 10 miles from the border ofthe city or town they work for to their residence. This law had notbeen strictly enforced until recently and the PFFM made swift

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efforts to address this issue. The PFFM drafted language to makethe residency requirement subjective to collective bargaining.Through influence in the state legislature, the PFFM was able toget this language into the 2014 state budget and amend theresidency requirements.• Narcan Vote: The PFFM unanimously voted to supportputting Narcan (Naloxone) on every fire truck in Massachusetts.Narcan is an opioid antagonist drug that is specifically used tocounteract opioid overdoses from drugs such as heroin andmorphine. This important vote came as a result of a recent surgein heroin overdoses throughout the state. On April 23, the PFFMhosted a Train the Trainer program in the administration ofNarcan by our members.• Tyler Seddon: The PFFM organized a trip from Massachusettsto Rhode Island to deliver presents to 7-year-old Tyler Seddonwho is fighting his second battle with leukemia. Over 80 pieces ofapparatus made the trip to Rhode Island and joined up with fireapparatus and police vehicles from that state for a drive by forTyler Seddon. The event got national press coverage and certainlymade the young boy’s birthday.• Line-of-Duty Deaths: Since 2012 there have been 22line-of-duty deaths in Massachusetts: February 2, 2012- BrotherMaurice Zingarelli suffered a heart attack and passed away at theage of 59. Brother Zingarelli was a member of Worcester, Local1009. February 15, 2012- Brother Bradford Coolidge succumbedto kidney cancer and passed away at the age of 57. BrotherCoolidge was a member of Athol, Local 1751. March 8, 2012-Brother Matthew Smith succumbed to skin cancer and passedaway at the age of 45. Brother Smith was a member of Danvers,Local 2038. March 24, 2012- Brother Richard Pierce suffered astroke and passed away at the age of 73. Brother Pierce was amember of North Reading, Local 1857. June 6, 2012- BrotherJeffrey Phelps succumbed to stomach cancer and passed away atthe age of 56. Brother Phelps was a member of Dudley, Local4271. July 7, 2012- Brother Michael Smith succumbed to cancerand passed away at the age of 43. Brother Smith was a member ofGloucester, Local 762. August 28, 2012- Brother James Roysuccumbed to throat cancer and passed away at the age of 62.Brother Roy was a member of Fitchburg, Local 3128. October 27,2012- Brother Donald Young succumbed to prostate cancer andpassed away at the age of 65. Brother Young was a member ofFramingham, Local 1652. January 27, 2013- Brother JosephSlattery succumbed to cancer and passed away at the age of 47.Brother Slattery was a member of Natick, Local 1707. February 9,2013- Brother Patrick Germain suffered a heart attack and passedaway at the age of 60. Brother Germain was a member ofWorcester, Local 1009. February 10, 2013- Brother PaulChippendale succumbed to pancreatic cancer and passed away atthe age of 37. Brother Chippendale was a member of Fall River,Local 1314. March 26, 2013- Brother Edward Seman succumbedto pancreatic cancer and passed away at the age of 57. BrotherSeman was a member of Worcester, Local 1009. May 23, 2013-Brother Christopher Haney succumbed to colon cancer andpassed away at the age of 57. Brother Haney was a member ofWoburn, Local 971. June 3, 2013- Brother Charles Crowleysuccumbed to a heart condition and passed away at the age of 56.Brother Crowley was a member of Chelsea, Local 937. June 7,2013- Brother Clifton DeCourcy suffered from respiratory arrestand passed away at the age of 61. Brother DeCourcy was amember of Worcester, Local 1009. July 8, 2013- Brother John

Austin suffered from cardiac arrest and passed away at the age of37. Brother Austin was a member of Quincy, Local 792. July 22,2013-Brother David Brier suffered from cardiac arrest and passedaway at the age of 50. Brother Brier was a member of Middleboro,Local 3653. December 27, 2013- Brother Albert Ordwaysuccumbed to esophageal cancer and passed away at the age of 59.Brother Ordway was a member of Framingham, Local 1652.January 21, 2014- Brother Joseph Mullen succumbed topancreatic cancer and passed away at the age of 60. BrotherMullen was a member of Boston, Local 718. January 22, 2014-Brother Francis Flynn succumbed to Lung Cancer and passedaway at the age of 53. Brother Flynn was a member of Boston,Local 718. March 23, 2014- Brother Arthur Moscufo sufferedfrom cardiac arrest and passed away at the age of 64. BrotherMoscufo was a member of Medford, Local 1032. March 26, 2014-Brother Edward Walsh and Brother Michael Kennedy were killedin the line of duty at a building fire Beacon Street in Boston.Brothers Walsh and Kennedy bravely went in to battle the blaze onBeacon Street and made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives ofbrother and sister firefighters and residents of the Beacon Streetarea. Brother Walsh was 43 years old and Brother Kennedy was 33years old when they each passed; both were members of Boston,Local 718. March 31, 2014- Brother George Gobeil succumbed tolung cancer and passed away at the age of 67. Brother Gobeil wasa member of New Bedford, Local 841.• OPEB Reform: The legislature could vote as early as thisspring, sweeping changes to retiree health care. The PFFMconvened a commission that drafted recommendations presentedto the legislature to ensure certain provisions for retirees whohave given so much to their communities. Current retirees, andthose within five years of retirement or who are within 12 monthsof being vested, or who have completed 20 years of service areexempt from the expecting legislation. OPEB reform would notaffect current retirees, but would affect future public employeeretirees.Among PFFM’s recommendations are that retirees shall berequired to complete twenty (20) years of service and havereached the age of 60 (group 1), 55 (group 2), and 50 (group 4) inorder to qualify for retiree health insurance. The commissionrecommends that the OPEB Reform be implemented as acomprehensive mandatory package with the Commonwealthresolving any concerns that the inclusion of the change tosurvivor benefits would potentially create an unfunded mandateby agreeing to reimburse municipalities in the event that the costof the survivor benefits portion of the OPEB reform offsets 50%or more of the savings.• Boston Marathon Bombings: On April 15, 2013, three peoplewere killed and more than 260 runners and spectators wereinjured after two bombs went off at the finish line of the Bostonmarathon. In the days that followed, a police officer would alsolose his life related to the attacks and additional law enforcementinjured. PFFM members played a significant role in the rescueand recovery at the finish line, including Boston fire fighters thatresponded but also several dozen PFFM members that weremarathon volunteers or spectators and jumped into action to helpsave lives.The PFFM joined with Boston Firefighters Local 718 and Bostonlaw enforcement and EMS unions within 48 hours of the attacksto establish the Boston First Responders Fund to aid victims ofthe marathon bombings and to offer a $50,000 reward to the

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person(s) who provide information leading to the arrest andapprehension of the people responsible for the attacks. Theoutpouring of support was phenomenal; more than $220,000 wasraised. Earlier this year funds were given to SpauldingRehabilitation Hospital to be used for marathon survivors andtheir continuing therapy and costs not covered by insurance.• State Death Benefit: The PFFM worked with the AttorneyGeneral and Senate President to increase the state death benefitfor families of public safety personnel killed in the line of dutyfrom a one-time payment of $100,000 to $150,000. The benefithas not been increased since 1994 and passed April 18.Smoking Cessation: This fall a local media outlet conducted aninvestigative report that caught some fire fighters smokingon-duty. State law prohibits fire fighters and police officers fromsmoking on- or off-duty or using any tobacco products. Underthe law, fire fighters hired prior to 1988 or after 1988 under anexam prior to that year, are allowed to use tobacco products on-or off-duty. As a result of the media report, the fire fightersprofiled were fired. The PFFM has argued that fire fighters caughtsmoking should be offered mandatory treatment options insteadof the immediate loss of their jobs.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

On the morning after Election Day 2012, New Hampshire becamea very different place than it had been in the previous two years.The anti-worker Tea Party type that led the New HampshireHouse and Senate had been defeated. Democrats took over theHouse, which was an enormous win having previously been a 3-1Republican super majority. The Senate, though stillRepublican-led, became more even at 13-11, as opposed to a 19-5Republican majority. A new moderate democratic Governor waselected and Governor’s Executive Council became bi-partisan.And most importantly, on November 5, 2012, the ProfessionalFire Fighters of New Hampshire helped get elected the mostmembers to the State House in its history at 16 members. Ourcampaign strategy proved to be a successful one, as endorsedcandidates from President Obama down the ballot to county raceswere elected. A strong and well-funded PAC, determined localleadership, and engaged members made New Hampshire’selection strategy a successful one.No matter what the political make up, certain elected leaders willalways make attempts to destroy or weaken organized labor. Timeand time again, when attacks happen in the state it is NewHampshire’s Union Fire Fighters that stand at the gates and beatthem back.President Dave Lang and Secretary-Treasurer WilliamMcQuillen recognize the Executive Board and Council, localleaders, and members — both active and retired — that stoodwith them these past two years. Their hard work, refusal to backdown to opposition, and willingness to stand up and fight whennecessary, has been the pillar of New Hampshire’s union’sstrength. I remain proud and thankful for each of them.The 2012 legislative session began with the first office relocationin nearly 20 years right next to the state Capitol, in order to becloser to the decision makers. Union membership grew byorganizing a new local. These two legislative years have beenproductive for unionized firefighters in New Hampshire.However, the state is still faced with challenges. Both years, Rightto Work bills aimed at destroying collective bargaining have come

before the legislative bodies. However, the state fought back andthis legislation was twice defeated. In February 2013, NewHampshire state officers were joined by General PresidentSchaitberger and myself to see the defeat of this legislation, andmeet with members and representatives. The leadership, counciland support coupled with the outstanding high quality of IAFFstaff aided the state association in these efforts. The IAFF staffcontinues to be the backbone of our union and IAFF members inNew Hampshire. A special thanks is extended to the staff at theNew Hampshire State Office: Kayla McCarthy, Casey McCabe, andAshley MacKinnon. They are joined by the decades of efforts byAttorney Richard Molan. For 30 years he has represented themembers with conviction and determination.Still reeling from the damage of the 2011-2012 session, the statehas kept its heads down and drew out battle plans to attempt torepair some of the damage done. First up for the 2013-2014legislative session was committee assignments. Post-election, itwas announced that fire fighters would be assigned as an AssistantMajority Leader, Chairman of Labor, Chairman of Fish & Game,and Vice-Chairman of Transportation. With members in high-ranking positions, the state association was able to tacklelegislation and information with a bit more ease. The state hascontinued to see its fair share of battles: Right to Work was backboth years, and pension-destroying bills were back on tap.However, they were able to fend off some legislation whileworking on passing a few important reforms. They stood proudlyat the bill signing ceremony on legislation involving criticalincident-stress management and crisis intervention, and againlegislation was passed that will track and report data to helpunderstand where, when, and why negotiations break down, andhow to solve it. The state is on track to pass Senate Bill 204, whichexpands the list of medical conditions covered by workers’compensation, and they are also set to pass a bill that givesveterans preference in public employment.The health of every single member is very important.Unfortunately, over the last two years we have said goodbye tomembers who have lost their courageous battles with cancer. Butfrom this devastation, the state began working with the NewHampshire Fire Academy on a solution. The union worked todevelop a cancer awareness curriculum, which 1200 fire fightershave taken. Additionally, it is now part of FFI curriculum for allnew fire fighters. We are extremely proud to say that the state isthe only one in the nation where this curriculum is required. Wetook this a step further by working on legislation that would makecertain types of cancers compensable under the workers’compensation law. This proposition is on track to be studied thissummer, where we hope strong legislation will be developed tomake this a reality for New Hampshire fire fighters.Much of the previous two years have been spent fighting to see areturn of surplus dollars from management controlled risk pools.The work paid off; cities, towns and employees began to seerefund checks. The total of $104 million of risk pool surplusfunds was returned over three years. This money, which wasreturned to deserving retirees, active members, cities and towns,helped close a chapter on a 12-year battle. However, the war willnot be over until every single citizen who is owed money is madewhole, and the law is changed to ensure that this type of situationcan never happen again. With the cost of health insurance alwayson the rise, it is commonplace across this country to blame publicemployees and use health insurance as a reason to not hire new

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employees. However, through data gathering and many questions,it was found that sometimes employee rate increases are notbecause of “trends,” but because these risk pools are simplycharging too much and holding on to unnecessary surpluses. Weare proud of our work, but we must continue to keep a close eyeon these insurance pass-through organizations throughout thewhole country.When it came to pension reform issues, the state associationworked tirelessly with the New Hampshire Retirement SecurityCoalition (NHRSC), which was established in 2008. The NHRSCfalls under the umbrella of the National Public Pension Coalition(NPPC), which the IAFF is a strong partner. The NHRSC is madeup of both union and non-union groups that work together onissues pertaining to the New Hampshire Retirement System andthe 76,000 active and retired fire fighters, police officers, teachers,and state and local employees who rely on the system to provide areasonable and secure retirement that was promised to them atthe time of their employment. The coalition provides up-to-dateinformation to their members regarding what proposals, changes,or impacts the New Hampshire legislature votes on that wouldaffect members’ retirement benefits. The partners of the NHRSCwork simultaneously to advocate retirement issues to themembers of the New Hampshire House and Senate, as well asprovide the media and public with fact-based information from avariety of sources. Fruits of the New Hampshire RetirementSecurity Coalition can be viewed atwww.nhretirementfacts.com.Members of the NHRSC worked hard this year to try to passSB364, a bill that would help the newest members of our union.Fire fighters hired on or after July 1, 2011, will receive asignificantly lesser benefit due to the changes that were made in2011under HB2. In fact, according to the NewHampshire Retirement System’s own actuarial projections, after a25-year career, a fire fighter will retire with only $34,000. Bycurrent New Hampshire standards, this would qualify them forsocial services. SB364 would have made one simple change to thebenefit structure for these newly hired members by changing theirmultiplier from 2% to 2.5%. It would have left all other 2011changes in place, but by making this one simply change it wouldhave allowed fire fighters in 30 years to retire with dignity and alivable benefit. Unfortunately, the GOP controlled Senate did notbelieve this to be a worthy legislative change and killed SB36412-11 down party line. This is still crucial and needs to bechanged to protect all of our members. The state association willcontinue to fight for these newest members using the legislativeprocess and believe that the state’s work in the 2014 election cyclewill prove fruitful for this endeavor.The state remains diligent in furthering legal cases through thecourt system as a majority partner in the New HampshireRetirement Security Coalition Legal Team. Currently there arethree ongoing cases. The first dates back to changes made by theNew Hampshire legislature in 2008, most importantly changes tothe definition of earnable compensation, the special account thatfunds COLAs, and the medical subsidy benefit. In this case, theSuperior Court found that employees do not have vested rights intheir COLAs and no right to challenge the defunding of specialaccounts. The judge also repeated his findings about a 10-yearvesting period for other aspects of the Retirement System. Thestate, the Retirement System, and the coalition have all appealedto the Supreme Court. The parties just received the schedulingorder for the submission of briefs; the state and NHRS briefs are

due May 25, 2014, the state’s brief will be due June 19, 2014, andthey will have one more chance to respond on June 21, 2014.On July 1, 2011, the state filed the first part of challenges to HB2.The lawsuit sought an injunction due to the increase in employeeretirement rates (fire went from 9.3% of payroll to 11.8 %). In thiscase, the Superior Court found that the recently imposed rateincreases were substantial and were not justified by any particularpublic policy requirements. The rate increases were, thus,improper for any employee vested in the Retirement Systemunder the contract clause of the New Hampshire Constitution.The contract clause prohibits the state from breaching itscontracts. The judge, however, found that employees do notbecome vested in the Retirement System until they complete ten(10) years of service. The Retirement Coalition appealed to theNew Hampshire Supreme Court because it believes employeesbecome vested upon achieving permanent status, not at ten years.The State appealed because it claims employees do not ever vest ordo not vest until they actually retire. On February 24, 2014, thestate association filed a Supreme Court brief, and now awaits ahearing schedule. The position remains that vesting begins uponpermanent employment status (upon completion of probation)and remain positive that all members will win in the end.On February 29, 2012, the state association filed the second partof the lawsuit challenging the changes in HB2. These include all ofthe remaining changes that affect earnable compensation, averagefinal compensation calculation, changes to minimum age, years ofservice, and the change in our multiplier. In this case, the SuperiorCourt found that employees vest in the Retirement System uponachieving permanent status. The judge ruled, however, that shecould not tell without a trial whether definitional changes madeby the Legislature to factors such as what constitutes “earnablecompensation” are substantial enough to have violated members’rights. Over the state association’s objection, the HillsboroughCounty judge stayed proceedings in this case pending theoutcome of the Supreme Court appeals. As a result, there is nopending activity in this case.Through research and lobbying efforts, the state has also workedhard to ensure that members are able to complete the IAFF FireGround Safety and Survival class, ensuring that our members gohome safe at the end of their shift. To date, 565 of members havecompleted this course. Local unions continue to lead the way inraising money for various causes. Locals raised $226,150 tobenefit MDA, held a successful 4F Golf Tournament to benefitfamilies of the Fallen Fire Fighter’s Family Fund, did tremendousfundraising for breast cancer in October, grew mustaches for“Movemeber” challenges, and will begin a new program, Coats forKids, this year.As the state association prepares for the 2014 election, IAFFmembers remain determined and motivated. An aggressiveelection plan has been assembled. The PFFNH stands proudlywith those who stand with them.Just as we prepare ourselves in our departments throughtraining, our union has been preparing for this fight for decades.The PFFNH built our union to withstand attacks such as thesethrough every law that we passed to every contract article wenegotiated. President Lang and Secretary-Treasurer McQuillen areextremely proud of the New Hampshire members. It is theirstrength, passion and refusal to back down that will win the day.

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RHODE ISLAND

The legislative agenda forwarded by Legislative Agent, PaulValletta, has resulted in major victories. The Central Coventry FireDistrict through mismanagement and strong anti-unionsentiment has emerged from being totally disbanded to receivinga five- year timeline to financially right the district, maintainunion fire fighter jobs, prevent privatization of EMS and continueto serve the citizens of their fire district. This legislative win,coupled with favorable results of contract continuation and thekilling of all anti- fire fighter legislation, marks a positivelegislative session.The pension systems for fire fighters in the state of Rhode Islandare either run by individual municipalities or the state of RhodeIsland. The municipal plans have historically been under-funded,which was a prime reason for the city of Central Falls to enter intobankruptcy. Two plans—one in the city of Pawtucket and anotherin the town of West Warwick—were considered in crucial status.Due to recognition of our members preserving equitablepensions, it appears these plans are now actuarially sound withstrong contractual language in order to prevent thesecommunities from not living up to their obligation to fund thepension plans. Further, these negotiated pension plans were thecatalyst for maintaining core economic benefits for long-termcollective bargaining agreements. These positive results are atestimony to Pawtucket President Bob Neill and West WarwickPresident Bill Leahy and their Executive Boards for their hardwork. The results for our members in the state plan were statusquo, meaning very poor. The unnegotiated pension reforminitiated by our General Treasurer remains in effect. The resultsare more years, age requirement, non-guaranteed COLA, etc.Federal mediation lasting 15 months broke down, resulting in thepositive mediated items becoming null and void. The economiceffect of this breakdown is a hardship for all fire fighters in thestate system. This unfavorable outcome will be the prime focus tolegislatively change these pensions going forward.The results of the outstanding work of the state organization’sVice President Joe Andriole and Staff Representative Bob Neillworking with local leadership have resulted in a vast majority of ourlocals securing collective bargaining agreements. These agreementsprotect our core economic benefits with reasonable increases whilemitigating the rising costs of medical health insurance.Over the past two years, the state office has participated in 83rights grievances resulting in arbitrations covering the fullspectrum of possible issues. Our record for favorable results is inthe high 70th percentile. Up to this point, interest arbitrationshave been focused on one community, North Kingstown, with thepossibility of four interest arbitration cases being heard bydifferent arbitrators in the same time frames. The town of NorthKingstown has unilaterally imposed a 56-hour work week. Attremendous cost, the local has been successful in court and at theState Labor Relations Board, whose decisions have been appealedby the town. This work schedule, with an inability to retainpersonnel, has destroyed morale and created a fatigued workforce.As of now, there is no end in sight in resolving the number ofhours worked and other contested issues that have beenarbitrarily instituted by the town of North Kingstown.The state association has been successful in organizing three firedistricts in the town of Burrillville and is in the process ofnegotiating this local’s first contract.

Both the General Officers and the General Assembly races arebenchmark events. The gubernatorial candidate, Angel Tavares, isrunning against General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, the designerof the contested pension. Her changes, as reported, created a hugeproblem for all retired and active fire fighters. If elected, shewould further complicate the lives of all fire fighters in our state.Electing labor-friendly candidates to the General Assembly wouldenhance the state’s ability to maintain issues and possibly correctpension problems.The state association has successfully prevented [c2] CentralCoventry Fire District from being dissolved and continued tofight the 56-hour work week issue in North Kingstown. Thiscould not have been accomplished without the help from theIAFF, which provided funding, legal assistance and total supportwhen requested. These factors and the work done by VicePresident Andriole, Staff Representative Neill, Legislative AgentValletta and Secretary-Treasurer Hanos, has allowed the stateassociation to meet, resist and prevail against our many enemies.

VERMONT

The past two years have been full of success and change for theProfessional Fire Fighters of Vermont. After 15 years as a memberof the PFFV Executive Board and serving seven years as President,Matt Vinci left the PFFV to become the Director of Education andHuman Relations at IAFF headquarters in Washington, D.C. Hewill be missed by all in Vermont and will prove to be a great assetto all in the IAFF.The PFFVs legislative operation has had some great successesover the past two years. The state has been able to push legislationthat will protect members’ benefits, provide for training, makejobs safer and cover members if they contract an illness due to thejob.Governor Shumlin signed into law additional presumptionsunder workers’ compensation to protect fire fighters and EMSpersonnel. This new law covers the presumptions of lung injuryor illness as well as infectious disease.The state association has worked hard to expand the laws thatprotect members and the public from the exposure to harmfulflame retardants. Governor Shumlin signed into law legislationthat will ban the use of chlorinated Tris as a flame retardant. Thisis an expansion of previous legislation that banned brominatedflame retardants in upholstered furniture and electronics. ThePFFV also secured a surcharge on specific lines of insurance,ensuring a dedicated source of funding for emergency medicaltraining. Lastly, a lot of work was put into lessening the negativeimpact and ensuring the security of a healthy retirement for ourmembers in the state-administered municipal retirement system.During the last election cycle, the PFFVs political operation wasinstrumental in the re-election of fire fighter friendly candidatesto office. Governor Peter Shumlin was re-elected with the strongsupport of the PFFV. He currently serves as the Chair of theDemocratic Governors’ Association. The state association workedhard to continue to have a Democratic majority in both theVermont Senate and House. This was all accomplished byengaging the members and hitting the ground in a grassrootscampaign supporting our candidates.The PFFV has also worked closely with our locals. The PFFV hashelped on ballot initiatives in Burlington, Montpelier and St.Johnsbury by turning out PFFV members from all over the state

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in support of their needs. The state association continues to assistwith the ongoing pension issues in the city of Burlington andcontinues to provide full service assistance to all locals duringcollective bargaining and on grievance issues.Sincere thanks and gratitude is extended to former StatePresident Matt Vinci for his dedicated service to the members ofVermont. The PFFV looks forward to the future and building onits successes of the past and fighting for IAFF fire fighters allacross Vermont.

WILLIAM V. TAYLOR4TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the Constitution andBy-Laws of the International Association ofFire Fighters, Article VI, §3, I respectfullysubmit the following report of my activitiesas 4th District Vice President for the period

between July 2012 and April 2014.Since the last Convention in Philadelphia, I have attended allIAFF and 4th District State Conventions, Conferences, ExecutiveBoard and committee meetings, MDA meetings and have carriedout all other assignments given to me by General PresidentSchaitberger. I have also attended various other educationalconferences and seminars for the purpose of furthering myknowledge in specific fields so that I may better serve themembership.Presently, I serve on the following Executive BoardCommittees: Emergency Disputes (Chairman), Employee Benefitsand Human Resources and Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. I am atrustee on the IAFF Employee and the Staff Pension Funds, and Ialso serve as a Director of the IAFF Financial Corporation and theIAFF Charitable Foundation.Our efforts over the past two years have not changed focus muchfrom the issues we always face. Again, healthcare and theeconomy have been dominant and have greatly affected us. Theproblems we see are numerous, including staffing cuts, furloughs,pension cuts/reductions, brownouts, station closures, andpending layoffs. But know that your leadership, from the local tothe international level, has continued to move forward to findsolutions to help curb detrimental consequences. We have alsobeen facing numerous issues arising from IAFF membersvolunteering in jurisdictions that also employ IAFF members.There is a movement in Delaware to create a state association.However, this has not yet occurred.In the District of Columbia, an arbitration decision was reached,ruling that putting D.C. fire fighters on a schedule consisting of(3) 12-hour days, followed by 1 day off, then (3) 12-hour nightsfollowed by 3 days off would not produce any significantmonetary savings for the City and also posed potential healthconcerns for firefighters. However, the D.C. Public EmployeeRelations Board has now ruled that the administration canimplement the new work schedule. Local 36 President, Ed Smith,

intends on filing in the Court of Appeals to cease theseactions. With elections taking place later this year, including anew mayor, Local 36 leadership feels confident they will prevail.Maryland fire fighters are working to pass a few bills throughstate legislature. One would deem fire fighters’ retirement incomeas tax-free, and the other would make assaults on fire fighters andEMS workers felonies. They are also fighting the passage of twobills. These bills would require all state funding through 508monies to go strictly to volunteer departments. The ProfessionalFire Fighters of Maryland are working with the MarylandInstitute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) toestablish an appeal procedure for those who are facing suspensionof certification by a Medical Director. Additionally, IAFF Local1715 from Cumberland, MD, is fighting to remain as thebargaining unit for the city’s fire fighters. They received a noticethat the city was voiding their contract as of June 30, 2014.The Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association isfighting a “Wisconsin-style” attack on payroll deductions. Variousanti-union special interest groups are trying to pass legislationthat would stop automatic dues deductions for public sectorworkers. Although the majority of our membership in the statewould be exempt, there are still a few airport and EMS locals thatwould be affected. The legislation in question would also prohibitall public sector unions from collecting PAC donations throughpayroll deductions.The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters have presented three billsto the State legislature, all dealing with the creation of a Line ofDuty Health Benefits Fund and increased funding. So far, the billshave been held over until 2015. Perhaps with the recent electionof the new governor, we will be more successful in the future.Alexandria Local 2141 is fighting cuts to fire departmentresources under the city’s proposed budget. Reductions wouldinclude the relocation of one engine company, elimination of 10vacant positions, and the elimination of one peak-time medicunit. The local does have a Facebook page titled “Save Engine204,” if anyone would like to show support.And in West Virginia, one of our brothers, Dave Palmer, amember of our Wheeling local, is running for a seat in the WVHouse of Delegates. We wish him luck and stand by to assist hiscampaign.I would also like to thank my State Presidents Mike Campbell,Art Martynuska, Mike Mohler, and Brian Jones for all of theirtireless efforts on behalf of this great union. Also John Niemiec(DFSR) and all the countless others from District 4 who help tomake my job easier.I would like to thank General President Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Miller, Assistants to the General President andGeneral Secretary-Treasurer and every single IAFF employee fortheir assistance and guidance. Thanks also go out to all membersof the 4th District for your continued support. Being your VicePresident is a great honor which I do not take lightly. Collectively,we can remain effective and successful and I look forward tocontinuing my service to you in the years to come.

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THOMAS THORNBERG5TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters Constitution andBy-Laws, Article VI, Section 3, I respectfullysubmit my report as 5th District Vice Presidentto General President Schaitberger, General

Secretary Treasurer Miller, the IAFF Executive Board and all officersand delegates to this 52nd Convention being held in Cincinnati, Ohio.This report contains a summary of activities in the 5th District fromAugust 2012 through April 2014.In 2012 at the IAFF 51st Convention held in Philadelphia, PA, I washonored to be elected to the office of 5th District Vice President of theIAFF in a very close election. Shortly after the convention andelection, my opponent, former 5th District Vice President JosephConway Jr., filed an “appeal and complaint” with the GeneralPresident regarding the election, citing alleged violations of electionprocedures with regards to the election of delegates and delegate proxycarriers. Additionally, a complaint was made regarding the position ofobservers witnessing the tabulation of votes. After an exhaustive andthorough examination of all laws, policies, records and documentspertaining to IAFF elections, the General President determined that hedid not have the authority to consider and decide the “appeal andcomplaint” filed by Mr. Conway as it would usurp the “supremeauthority” of the International’s Convention-who are the delegates,according to the IAFF Constitution and By-Laws.Subsequently, Mr. Conway filed a complaint and election challengewith the United States Department of Labor (DOL). The DOLlaunched an extensive investigation into the election procedures usedby 5th District affiliates to elect delegates or delegate proxy carriers.The result of the investigation proved there were technical violationsof election procedures used by some affiliates. Because of theseviolations and the closeness of the election, the DOL recommended tothe IAFF that a new election be held for the office of IAFF 5th DistrictVice President. After careful consideration of all the findings, facts andarguments, the IAFF entered into a “Compliance Agreement” with theDOL and ordered a new election be held and supervised by the DOL.The results of the closely supervised election were tabulated at theDOL offices in Milwaukee, WI on July 30, 2013, and I was againelected to the position of IAFF 5th District Vice President, this time bya larger margin. I was, and still am, honored by and thankful to themembers of the 5th District for allowing me to serve in this position.This was a contentious, exhausting and expensive ordeal for theIAFF, the members of the 5th District and me, but many valuablelessons were learned by the entire organization throughout thisprocess. This has led to positive changes in credentialing and electionprocedures for the future. The wounds of this experience are healing,and the 5th District is moving in a positive direction in true unionfashion.Since being elected (twice), I have had the privilege of representingthe IAFF members in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota andWisconsin. I serve at their will to the best of my ability and alwayswith their best interests in mind. I have attended all IAFF ExecutiveBoard meetings and completed all tasks and assignments given to meby the General President. My specific Executive Board committeeassignments from the General President include: Chairman of theL/EAP committee, Chairman of the Legal Services committee, ViceChairman of the EMS committee. I am a member of the: Pension &Health Resources committee, Information & Technology Systems

committee, Communications, Media / Public Affairs committee, andEmployee Benefits & Human Resources committee. I have alsoattended all IAFF conferences in the past two years and unfortunatelytoo many Line of Duty Death memorials honoring our lost brothersand sisters.In the district, I have traveled to all four states representing locals ona variety of issues as well as offering counsel and advice to manymore. I have attended several state, district, caucus and local meetingsand State Conventions.As the economy continues to improve, locals are beginning to seemodest improvements to wages and benefits. Staffing levels arebeginning to slowly improve as well. Many locals are taking advantageof the many services available to them from the IAFF’s TechnicalAssistance & Information Resources department, such as MunicipalFinancial Analyses, Geographical Information System studies andcontract comparables to assist them in negotiations. PensionResources, also part of this department, has been a tremendous help aswe continue the battle to maintain our pensions.Locals in the 5th District have used virtually every departmentavailable to them from the IAFF. The legal department has assistedwith FLSA issues, wrongful termination and disciplinary cases, firstamendment rights’ violations and many others. The Education,Training & Human Relations department has provided us with topquality instructors from the Partnership in Education Program atState Assn. sponsored events. Governmental, Political & Public Affairsdepartment continues to work with our state and local affiliates tohelp get the right people elected to public office which are often ourown members. We have two members running for the State House inMinnesota and North Dakota for the first time and several othersseeking re-election for public office. We had two members from the5th District attend the Political Training Academy and one memberattend the new Collective Bargaining Training Academy in Memphis.Many of our locals are getting HAZMAT/WMD training from IAFFMaster Instructors made available from the IAFF through grants.They are also getting assistance applying for grants such as SAFER andFIRE from this department. The Health, Safety & Medicinedepartment has provided volumes of information and resources to5th District affiliates regarding, PSOB claims, presumptions, LODD,medical opinions, CPAT, fire codes and so much more. The Media,Communications & IT department has assisted many locals withmedia development including video, radio, social and print media.Two of our locals have already taken advantage of the new E-18Media studio with messages developed by this department for politicalelections. I will continue to educate and make aware the affiliates ofthe 5th District the many resources available to them through theIAFF.Organizing in the 5th District is going very well. We have added sixnew locals and four existing locals have added additional bargainingunits to their locals since our last convention in Philadelphia. I amcurrently working with three more groups that will likely affiliate withus this year.I would like to take this opportunity to thank 5th District FieldService Representatives Jerry Biggart and Mike “Woody” Woodzickafor the extraordinary work they do in the district. Their expertisesaves locals a lot of money in attorneys’ fees. I would also like torecognize 5th District Service Representatives Jose Carbajal, MikeEliason, Jamie Garvey, Tom Johnson, Derek Matykowski, Greg Sikora,Lance Tryggestad and Scott Vadnais for their work and willingness toassist locals in the 5th District. We have a great team available to helplocals with all of their issues.

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Since our last convention, we have lost far too many of our brothersand sisters, many of whom were great union leaders. One that standsout for me is 9th District Vice President Randy Atkinson. I did nothave the chance to serve with him for long on the Executive Board, butI knew him well as we both served as State Presidents. He was a goodman and a great union leader. He will be sorely missed by many.As a freshman District Vice President, it has been a truly enlighteningand energizing experience to be part of this Executive Board. I wouldlike to thank General President Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Miller and all of the District Vice Presidents fortheir counsel, advice and guidance during these first two years ofserving on this truly incredible board. I would also like to thank theunbelievably talented staff at the IAFF for their support. Theirknowledge and expertise is unparalleled. Last but not least, I wouldlike to thank my wife Cathy, my sons Kyle & Cody (who are both FireFighter/Paramedics and IAFF members) for their steadfast patienceand understanding, and for allowing me to spend the time needed todo this work.This report is a summary of the last two years in the 5th District.The local leadership is the backbone of this organization. The workthey do at the local level every day is where the rubber meets the road.The members of the IAFF make it financially possible for us to deliverthe services and resources available to them to make sure their jobs aresafe and secure, and for that I am grateful.I wish all gathered in Cincinnati a productive, successful andenjoyable convention.

LORNE WEST6TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the provisions of Article V1,Section 3, of the International Association ofFire Fighters Constitution and By-Laws, Irespectfully submit this report of my activity asthe 6th District Vice President to General

President Harold Schaitberger, General Secretary-Treasurer ThomasH. Miller, the IAFF Executive Board and all officers and delegates inattendance at the 52nd Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. This reportcontains a summary of my activities from September 2012 through toApril 2014. I have attended all Executive Board meetings and carriedout all assignments given me by General President Schaitberger. During this reporting period I have also been appointed by theGeneral President to serve on the following committees: HumanRelations (Chair), Canadian Affairs (Vice Chair), Legal Services, FallenFire Fighter Memorial, Information and Technology and Policy andOperational Procedures. In addition, at the direction of GeneralPresident Schaitberger, I have served as a trustee on the IAFFFoundation. I have attended all committee meetings and fulfilled allduties required of me by virtue of these assignments. I have had theopportunity to travel to each of the provinces of British Columbia,Alberta and Saskatchewan as well as the Northwest and Yukonterritories working in support of our 79 affiliates within the 6thDistrict on numerous occasions. I have also successfully reached out tothose not affiliated in an effort to organize the unorganized firefighters within the District. I have responded to every inquiry and service request by a localaffiliate or member in the 6th District in a timely manner to the bestof my ability. I have also attended all of the provincial conventionssince my election, as well as all of the Canadian Provincial Presidents

meetings, the Provincial Executive Board meetings, provincial regionalmeetings and both national and provincial legislative conferences,when schedules permitted. I have also attended the RedmondSymposium, Human Relations Conference, EMS Conference, AffiliateLeadership Training Summits, Labour Management Initiative and theFallen Fire Fighters Memorials and have represented the 6th District atfar too many members’ funeral services this term. At the last convention, I reported that all of the provinces andterritories in the 6th District had succeeded in establishing orimproving fire fighter cancer presumptions or adding additionalcancers. Since that time, we continue to make gains in additionalpresumptions and gain occupational health and safety regulations thatimprove fire fighters’ physical, mental and emotional health care. Icontinue to work with all regions to assist them in advancing furthergains, develop stronger lobby, political action and communityrelations efforts, to share and communicate research information andsuccess to all. All provinces and territories in the 6th District haveconservative governments, making their successes all the moresignificant. Across the District, affiliates have embraced the IAFFnon-partisan political action strategy and contributions to theCanadian IAFF FIREPAC continue to set record highs for the 6thDistrict, with Saskatchewan and Alberta having a 100% dues check-offfor affiliates. In addition the majority of the 52 affiliates in BritishColumbia also contribute in a dues check-off to FIREPAC. Bargainingcontinues to be an uphill battle throughout the region, only madeworse by the dramatic shift to the right by politicians who, not onlytargeting public sector workers in general but in some cases,specifically targeting fire fighters, hard-bargained for collectiveagreements. Our IAFF affiliate and provincial leadership have provenup to the challenge and continue to prepare for the next employers’collective assault on our wages and working conditions. As in other Districts, our affiliates find themselves defending servicelevels, health care benefits and pensions. Yet despite these and otherongoing and persistent challenges, I am convinced the IAFF leadershipthroughout the 6th District is ready and prepared to meet allchallenges. In spite of facing greater challenges than ever before, fromemployer groups that are more coordinated in the past, the resolveand strength of leadership and the tenacity of our affiliates in the 6thDistrict have never been stronger. These challenges have brought outthe best in our leaders. The economies of Canada’s western provinces, which make up the 6thDistrict, continue to be strong and should provide a great opportunityfor our locals to grow, strengthen their collective agreements andprovide improvements to the safety and wellness of our fire fighters,despite the attacks from the right. However, there remain regionalpockets where the economic decline hit very hard. Although these areasare stable, our affiliates in those regions will continue to have greaterchallenges than the rest of the 6th District. Some of the struggles,successes, good work and extraordinary accomplishments throughoutthe 6th District are briefly detailed below.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

The British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association(BCPFFA) continues to maintain 100% affiliation from our 53affiliates within British Columbia and the Yukon (Whitehorse, Local2217). At the last convention, British Columbia reported addingesophageal cancer as a WCB presumption. They have now restored theheart presumption in its original form. This has been a significantchallenge and a high priority for the BCPFFA since the heart

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presumption was repealed June 5, 2000. Despite the right-wingconservative direction of the liberal government, BCPFFA PresidentMike Hurley and our B.C. affiliates have successfully built arelationship with Premier Christy Clark and the majority of hercaucus, while also maintaining the support of the opposition party,the labor-supportive NDP. This has proven to be very critical inrepresenting our members in British Columbia, when Christy Clarkdefied all polls and swept to a third majority for the liberals. All pollshad been predicting a labor (NDP) victory, which was not to be,despite corporate B.C. leaving the liberals in droves. The BCPFFAmanaged to build even stronger support in government as a result oftheir very successful strategy during the election.There continues to be a strong employer lobby for legislative changesthat will tip the arbitration process more to the favour of the employerthan it already is. To date, the BCPFFA’s relationship withGovernment has been able to hold off any such revisions, however,they must remain vigilant. Despite a continued lobby by employergroups to reduce pension, the BCPFFA has managed a very effectiveprovince-wide strategy to achieve pension improvements. Theemployer’s collaborative strategy to put pressure on our affiliates at thebargaining table has been the cause of great frustration for our B.C.affiliates, with six affiliates still without an agreement since 2009 andthe remaining since 2011, with one exception. Nonetheless BCPFFA’sresponse has been equally as strong and coordinated and is beginningto produce results. Their patience and coordinated bargaining effortshave produced better agreements than Interest Boards where theagreements have been achieved and recently one agreement through2019 that moves firefighter’s base rate to where there should be, giventhe cost of living in B.C. The longer range agreements will bring B.C.firefighters wages and benefits into the higher range nationally. BCPFFA’s success at bargaining has shown vision and long-termstrategic thinking in coordinating their wage parity approach, not tomention extraordinary patience from our members. We continue toassist the BCPFFA with bargaining and other work as requested.Organizing in British Columbia has taken a backseat to the bargainingand pension challenges over the past few years. The BCPFFA is at theearly stages of the national EMS strategy, and gaining ground in thepublic debate over the provincial ambulance service. As a result of astrategic effort in building out from IAFF-friendly municipal councils,the BCPFFA appears to be winning the public relations campaign overthe B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) for the first time indecades.The BCPFFA Burn Fund continues to work on their research andeducation facility directed by Dr. Aziz Ghary, an acknowledgedworld-leader in the treatment of burns and wounds. The BCPFFABurn and Wound Healing Research Laboratory at Vancouver GeneralHospital is nearing its sod-turning date with funding for the $13.5million building nearly complete. The BCPFFA hopes to begin theconstruction before the end of the year. The BCPFFA Burn Fund is aNorth American leader in support of fire fighters, burn survivors, andprevention. The B.C. Fire Fighters’ Memorial was unveiled on thegrounds of the legislature in February 2013. The memorial is anotherproduct of the BCPFFA’s successful non-partisan political actionstrategy.Congratulations to President Mike Hurley and his Board for thesuccess they have had on many fronts, building strong relationships onboth sides of the Legislature and growing the service to their now 53affiliates. The BCPFFA continues to be a significant player on allfronts in the province, and mentoring a dozen new affiliates torepresent their members well. I am confident that the BCPFFA and

their affiliates have the leadership necessary to face the coming yearsand handle the challenges ahead.

ALBERTA

The Alberta Fire Fighters’ Association (AFFA) began holding anannual Legislative Conference before last Convention, which hasramped up their presence in provincial government circles. They havevery quickly built successful relationships with many of thegovernment staff and have increased their number of friendly M.L.A.sin government. At the last Convention, we reported that Premier EdStelmach had been struggling and was replaced by Allison Redford,who was facing an election that expected to end the 41-year reign ofthe Progressive Conservative party in government. To everyone’ssurprise, the upstart Wildrose Party’s support collapsed, and Redfordcruised to a majority 12th consecutive Progressive Conservativegovernment. Two years later, she is struggling, as much or more, thanEd Stelmach and has resigned. The AFFA played a role in Redford’srise to leadership and is again, positioning to be a strategic player inthe leadership race. Unfortunately, the Redford government has begunattacking labor, including fire fighters, in a desperate bid to steal awaysupport from the Wildrose Party — an upstart anti-union reformpolitical group — out of fear of losing government. The AFFA ismaking good headway in building relationships with potentialProgressive Conservative leadership candidates, but it is too early tosay how much success they will have. The leadership race is lookingsomewhat muddied at this point, with no early strong leadershipcontenders. The new leader, Premier by default, will face dealing with the turmoilPremier Redford left behind. Most important of those issues is anattack on public sector pensions. The Redford regime tabledlegislation to dramatically reduce public sector pensions. The AFFAassembled a very experienced team of IAFF affiliate leadership andoutside expert consultants to respond to the challenge. Prior to theleadership change, they began gaining some traction and continue towork with senior staff in government to carve our fire fighters into astand-alone pension plan. The AFFA has also participated with theAlberta Federation of Labour’s efforts and remains in solidarity withlabor. The leadership race has not slowed changes to the pension. TheAFFA is the only public sector union that has been given access togovernment’s senior staff to meet over pension regulations. It is stillunclear where the pension plan will end in the final analysis, but theearly drafts expose the public sector plans for the possibility of atransition to a defined contribution or target benefit plan, at the whimof government. Government has attempted to rationalize the changeswithin the legislation speaking to a manufactured underfunding thatis now being reported by actuaries as soon to be eliminated, despitethe over-inflated math. We are all hopeful that may assist the AFFA intheir continued lobby efforts to protect their defined benefit plan.The past two years has not been all bad. The AFFA was successful inachieving legislative changes to permit 24-hour shifts. Four locals havenow achieved the 24-hour shift in their collective agreements. Thisbecame a significant issue with the organizing of new Local 4778,Airdrie who were already working 24-hour shifts. Bargaining their firstagreement led them to arbitration and exposed the hours of work asrequiring a special permit. The local was successful in defending thehours of work before in interest arbitration. The AFFA was alsosuccessful in achieving a presumptive WCB recognition for PTSD andthe AFFA has worked closely with professionals in the field to developfunctional application of the benefit.

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Alberta continues to be a challenge in organizing new IAFF affiliates,with the Labour Board supporting part-time fire fighters. The Boardrequires where there are part-time workers, they must also be includedin the IAFF local. This has proven challenging at times and as a resultorganizing new IAFF locals in Alberta has slowed considerably. Thechallenges have been many and have been the cause of delays inachieving first agreements; in some cases, taking four years or more, andrequiring lengthy and costly mediation and arbitration. Although wewere able to add the first of six new affiliates in late 2009, we still remainwith one of the six, without a first agreement, Okotoks Local 4829. Wehave had to defend two of these first agreements against Judicial Reviewand in one affiliate, Rocky View County Local 4794, two Guardian cases,and multiple Labour Board, WCB and Employment Standardscomplaints all of which, our affiliates have prevailed.The Local 4794, Rocky View County file has been an extreme case ofan employer taking on the IAFF and targeting our affiliatemembership vengefully for their audacity to unionize. Threeconsecutive Local 4794 Presidents have been terminated or laid-offsince certification. With the assistance of the IAFF guardian policy, wehave recently struck an agreement at the Labour Board that willessentially have the employer on probation until August 31. Two Local4794 Presidents have returned to work and the third has moved on,but was compensated for the grief the employer had caused him. Aspart of the LRB agreement, we also have their first agreement in placethrough to the end of 2015. Local 4794 is permitted to serve notice toend the LRB agreement for any reason up to August 31. There remainseven members in lay-off we are hopeful will be recalled during thattime frame. Local 4794’s troubles are far from over, but it appears, wemay have some stability there for the first time with the hiring of anew Fire Chief, Deputy Chief and District Chief that come with IAFFexperience. At the time of the LRB hearings, there were 757outstanding grievances, which have also been resolved if theagreement remains beyond the employer probation period.The reported transfer of the ambulance authority and responsibilityto the regional health authorities has been very challenging for ourAlberta affiliates. However, we are beginning to see a degree of stabilitythat may sustain itself for a few years now. A few of the integratedaffiliates have lost ambulance services, but the remaining integratedaffiliates have recently been able to maintain ambulance services withrenewed longer term contracts that include renewal clauses with theHealth Authority. We are also beginning to see those that lostambulance service looking to move back into providing ambulancesor at least increase the role of their fire fighters in pre-hospital care.The move to regionalize dispatch service that followed close on theheels of the creation of a provincial paramedic service has temporarilybeen put on hold, and we are hopeful IAFF affiliates will be able tomaintain their dispatch centres. The AFFA bargaining around Alberta has been coordinated betterthan ever, with Alberta affiliates now having the highest wagesnationally and the first local to exceed $100,000 as the annual wage fora first-class fire fighter (Fort McMurray Local 2494). In addition, thewage disparity between most AFFA affiliates has narrowed to withinapproximately $1,500 — the narrowest disparity in recent memory.Fort McMurray Local 2494 continues to stand alone in the uniquesituation of being able to rely on the oil industry-driven economy ofthe tar sands to get their wage rate much higher than the rest. As wehead into Convention, they are poised to achieve a three-yearagreement to 2016 which will bring first-class rates to $112,000 ormore annually. Outside of Local 2494, our new Leduc affiliate Local4739 set the bar high with their first agreement in 2013 for a rate of

$92,303 annually. Other affiliates have moved the 2014 rate to almost$95,000. Calgary Local 255, our District’s largest local at over 1,300members, continues to work at improving labor relations and has justreceived an arbitration award which narrowed the disparity withpolice to within 1%, from a long history of 3%. This was theireighth consecutive arbitration. Edmonton Local 209 is also waiting foran award, despite having been able to achieve voluntary settlementsfor as long as recent memory serves. The Alberta wage gains havebegun to have influence across provincial borders as larger cities inBritish Columbia and Saskatchewan have been able to look to Locals209 and 255 as legitimate comparables.The employer’s bargaining around Alberta has been coordinatedbetter than ever and has employer’s working hard together for the firsttime. Their efforts have been driven to suppress firefighter’s wagegains, since our affiliates began having some success. The Albertaeconomy is on fire, and our 15 of our 17 affiliates have now movedinto the highest wages nationally. Although we began to see the wagedisparity between most AFFA affiliates has narrowed to withinapproximately $1,500; it is has recently began growing again, with theemployer’s efforts having some success. Fort McMurray Local 2494continues to stand alone in the unique situation of being able to relyon the oil industry driven economy of the tar sands to get their wagerate much higher than the rest. As we head into convention they haveachieved a three year agreement to 2016 which will bring first classrates to far and away the highest nationally. Outside of Local 2494,our new Leduc affiliate Local 4739 set the high bar with their firstagreement in 2013 and since then two other affiliates were able tomove the 2014 rate slightly higher, before the employer’s coordinatedefforts began having some effect. Calgary, Local 255 our District’slargest Local at over 1300 members continues to work at improvinglabour relations and has just received an arbitration award thatnarrowed the disparity with police to within 1%, from a long historyof 3%. This was their 8th consecutive arbitration. The Alberta wagegains have begun to have influence across provincial borders as largercities in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have been able to look toAlberta wage trends to support their own bargaining argument.Canmore Local 4705 was organized as the first new local in Albertasince 1982 prior to last Convention. As a result of the pressures todivest of their ambulance services, the town reduced our full-timemembership down to three. Over the past year we have been able torestore staffing to 11 and achieve their second collective agreement.The other new locals in Alberta have also struggled to achieve a firstagreement. With 100% affiliation, the new locals and significantgrowth throughout our affiliates, AFFA membership is now over3,800, up another 100 members since last Convention’s gain of 300. Congratulations to President Craig Macdonald and his Board for thesuccess they have had on many fronts, despite facing many significantchallenges simultaneously. I am confident that the AFFA and theiraffiliates have the leadership necessary to face the coming years, handlethe challenges facing them and assist with mentoring the new locals tothe same success as our veteran affiliates.SASKATCHEWAN

Although the Saskatchewan Professional Fire Fighters’ Association(SPFFA) had begun to build a relationship with the new far rightthinking, Sask Party government, it appears the mood to go afterLabour has now swept over Saskatchewan as it has throughout theIAFF. The SPFFA now find themselves defending their right toarbitration and standing with the Federation of Labour against anumber of attacks on worker’s rights. The sad irony is the strongest

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civic lobby to remove the right to arbitration has come from thesmallest communities where firefighters are among the lowest paid,nationally. These affiliates have, all but, never utilized the arbitrationprocess in their history. Bill 85 in its initial draft set out to denyfirefighters in communities with less than 20,000 residents, the right toarbitration and merge all employments standards including the FireDepartment specific legislation. The communities have been clear;they believe our members are not essential public safety workers. Thisis nothing more than an attempt deliver the service with volunteers.Despite the Saskatchewan Party facing some scandal since winningtheir first election, they continue to poll as the most populargovernment in Canada. The booming resource sector has assisted inproviding the lowest unemployment in Canada despite having amongthe highest in-migration. The province of Saskatchewan continueswith the economic boom that began prior to last convention, despitesome resource specific sectors collapsing, such as potash mining. Theslow turn around in the world’s economy since 2010 has beenanything but slow in Saskatchewan. The prairie’s rich bounty ofresources with new discovery’s each year, appears to insulate theprovince well today. Despite this economic strength, populationgrowth and low unemployment, most of our affiliates struggle toachieve collective agreements. The disparity between, “the haves and the have nots”, is alarming. Ofour nine affiliates, only two have been able to achieve voluntaryrenewed collective agreements. Regina Local 181 has achieved avoluntary agreement through 2015 that provided the highest wagerate nationally, until it was surpassed by Alberta affiliates. The irony isthat it is the first voluntary agreement in Regina since 1998. SaskatoonLocal 80 followed soon after with an agreement through 2016 movingthe rate slightly higher, while our EMS Local 3270, SaskatoonAmbulance, without the right to arbitration was faced with taking astrike vote in order to pressure their employer into an agreement. Ourother six affiliates have not been able to achieve an agreement since2012, despite the fact that they remain significantly lower paid and insome cases among the lowest paid in the nation. Weyburn Local 2989was required to achieve a three year agreement from an InterestArbitration Board. Despite being a significant award of over 18%,they remain a full 42% behind the other known rates inSaskatchewan. The remaining five other Locals are facing a challengeto get their employers to an arbitration Board. Two of the employershave taken our affiliates first to court and when not successful, to theLabour Board to prevent them from accessing arbitration process inplace. These actions are merely a very transparent attempt to delayproceedings long enough to see Bill 85 given Royal Assent and whichmay then preclude the affiliates from accessing arbitration all together. Saskatchewan affiliates became the first provincial association inCanada to enact 100% dues check-off for IAFF FirePAC Canada in2006, led by Saskatoon Local 80 the first Local to do so in 2005, whichthey continue to maintain to this day. Not long after the election thatchanged government, the Sask Party announced an EmergencyMedical Services Review. Not much to date has come of this reviewbut it hangs over our Districts lone paramedic Local, 3270, SaskatoonAmbulance, and continues to be a concern. As a private EMS providerLocal 3270’s employer is dependent on provincial governmentfunding. With the fiscal right direction of the Sask party any realincreases in funding have proven very hard to come by. NonethelessLocal 3270, continues to be very tenacious and political astute in theirefforts at lobbying government in support of their service deliverymodel and wage and benefit concern. They continue to also work atincreasing their pension benefit options as well.

The SPFFA continues to maintain an increased EDF per capita toprovide the smaller Locals in Saskatchewan the opportunity to fundinterest arbitrations to achieve renewed collective agreements, if we areable to get them before an Interest Board. We continue to workingclosely with the SPFFA and our affiliates to narrow the wage disparityin the province. Congratulations to SPFFA President Kirby Benningand his provincial executive, for their success since last convention.Despite the Sask Party political paradigm and SPFFA concerns overBill 85, President Benning has managed to continue to build arelationship with select senior Ministers and staff of the Legislature. Iam confident that the SPFFA and their affiliate leadership are up to thechallenges they face in the coming years.

THE TERRITORIES

The Yukon and Northwest Territories continue to evolve from afrontier to more sophisticate provincial government environment.With only one affiliate in each of the Yukon and North WestTerritories, and as remote as they are, our affiliate leadership has neverbeen stronger and better connected. The level of dues funding thatmembers provide their Locals has permitted the two northern Localsto be fully engaged. Yellowknife Local 2890 continues to improve theirlot since the multiple LOD deaths of members Cyril Fyfe and KevinOlson in 2005. Although this progress had been hindered by therevolving door in the Chief’s office, recent stability in both the Chief’soffice and senior city staff has assisted their recent progress. In the lastround the Local won a significant decision from the Labour Boardordering the employer to the bargaining table when they refused tobargain. This may have had some influence over the result as theyhave achieved in their third voluntary collective agreement in a rowand have landed their wage rates within the leading rates of WesternCanadian for 2015. Whitehorse, Local 2217 our only Yukon affiliate has developed verystrong leadership and is beginning to see significant gains as a result.Just short of facing their fifth arbitration in recent years, they managedto achieve their first voluntary agreement in twenty years. Theagreement was through 2013 and incrementally moved them withinthe wage range of other Western Canada affiliates. Back at the table,just ahead of convention they have managed to again achieve avoluntary agreement to take them the rest of the way there andbeyond. With signing an eight year agreement through 2021,Whitehorse has now set very good lead wage rates nationally. Only afew short years they were faced with a station closure, and among thelowest wages in the country. We continue to work with the Local inattempting to establish a defined benefit pension plan for Local 2217;the only significant piece that remains yet to gain. Local 2217leadership is very strong and the membership has a strong solidarity.Our past-President Brian Fedoriak is recovering well and back atwork, from being the first firefighter to benefit for from the recentlyenacted WCB Cancer Presumptions.In closing I would like to thank all of the affiliates for the supportduring the start of my third term, it is truly a humbling experienceand an honour to serve you as your Vice President. I look forward toyour continued support. I would like to thank the IAFF staff for thehelp, assistance and their amazing work ethic. It truly amazes me howproductive this dedicated group of people are every day. Finally Iwould like to thank General President Schaitberger for his leadershipand General Secretary-Treasurer Miller for his. I wish all the delegatesa productive convention and thank the host, Local 48, Cincinnati,Ohio, for their hospitality at the 52nd biennial IAFF Convention.

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THE TERRITORIES

The Yukon and Northwest territories continue to evolve from afrontier to a more sophisticated provincial government environment.With only one affiliate in each of the Yukon and North Westterritories, and as remote as they are, our affiliate leadership has neverbeen stronger and better connected. The level of dues funding thatmembers provide their locals has permitted the two northern locals tobe fully engaged. Yellowknife Local 2890 continues to improve their lotsince the multiple line-of-duty deaths of members Cyril Fyfe andKevin Olson in 2005. Although this progress had been hindered by therevolving door in the Chief’s office, recent stability in both the Chief’soffice and senior city staff has assisted their progress. In the last roundthe local won a significant decision from the Labour Board orderingthe employer to the bargaining table when they refused to bargain.This may have had some influence over the result, as they haveachieved their third voluntary collective agreement in a row and havelanded their wage rates within the leading rates of Western Canadian,at near $95,000 for 2015. Whitehorse Local 2217, our only Yukon affiliate, has developed verystrong leadership and is beginning to see significant gains as aresult. Just short of facing their fifth arbitration in recent years, theymanaged to achieve their first voluntary agreement in 20 years. Thisagreement was through 2013 and incrementally moved them withinthe wage ranges of Western Canada as well. They are back at the tableat this time, attempting to achieve another voluntary agreement totake them the rest of the way there. We continue to work with the localin attempting to establish a defined benefit pension plan for Local2217. Local 2217 leadership is very strong and the membership has astrong solidarity. Our President Brian Fedoriak, who was the first firefighter to benefit from the recently enacted WCB CancerPresumption, is recovering well and is back at work. In closing I would like to thank all of the affiliates for the supportduring the start of my third term, it is truly a humbling experienceand an honor to serve you as your Vice President. I look forward toyour continued support. I would like to thank the IAFF staff for thehelp, assistance and their amazing work ethic. It truly amazes me howproductive this dedicated group of people is every day. Finally, I wouldlike to thank General President Schaitberger for his leadership andGeneral Secretary-Treasurer Miller for his. I wish all the delegates aproductive convention and thank the host, Local 48, Cincinnati, Ohio,for their hospitality at the 52nd IAFF Convention.

RICKY WALSH7TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

The following report of the 7th District VicePresident is respectfully submitted to GeneralPresident Harold Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Thomas Miller, the IAFFExecutive Board and all officers and delegatesat this 52nd Convention held in Cincinnati in

accordance with the provisions of Article VI, Section 3 of theInternational Association of Fire Fighters Constitution and By-Laws.The report contains a summary of activities within the 7th Districtfrom August 2012 through April 2014. Since the date you honored me with the privilege of representing themembers of Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, I continue tofaithfully serve the members of the district and this International to

the best of my ability. I have attended all Executive Board meetingsand completed all tasks assigned to me by the General President. Myactions and votes during board meetings were made with the needsand the concerns of the 7th District members in mind, but also withgreat regard for the interests of all IAFF members on the front linesevery day and those in retirement. My specific duties as a member ofthe IAFF Executive Board include serving on a number of committeesincluding the IAFF Financial Corporation, Education & Training,Emergency Medical Services, Organizing & Field Services,Information and Technology, Wildland Task Force, Legal Services andHuman Relations. I also continue to work towards the developmentof the IAFF Motorcycle Club and serve as Chairman of the IAFF-MGcommittee. It has been my honor to attend and participate in allIAFF functions since the Philadelphia Convention including far toomany Line-of-Duty Death memorials honoring our fallen brothersand sisters.The office of the 7th District actively creates new programs to benefitaffiliate locals while continuing existing programs with constantreview and improvement. With the assistance of District Field ServiceRepresentatives (DFSR) Brian Hurley (Tumwater Local 2409) andGreg Womack (Boise Local 149), my program known as“mini-education seminar series” has been enhanced and continues toeducate members with workshops offered at the local, grassroots level.During the last two years, over 300 members have taken advantage ofthe opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills throughparticipation in 15 “mini-education days” at various locationsthroughout the district. The venues included firehouse trainingrooms, hotel meeting rooms and college campuses. Training topicswere primarily workshops previously offered at ALTS, but they alsoincluded specially designed courses specific to either the location inwhich the training was delivered or the “hot issues” of the day. Thecustomized courses were developed by either the DFSRs or me. Ithank AGP Jim Ridley and Director Matt Vinci for their continuedsupport and assistance to me in this endeavor. The 7th District website continues to deliver information to all IAFFmembers with an interest in the activities of the IAFF 7th District 24hours a day, seven days a week. Links to all state associations in the 7thDistrict are accessible from this site, as are the 7th District VicePresident editorials, announcements, photos and other importantdocuments. In addition, the website contains a 7th District Librarythat houses labor publications for checkout to any member registeredto the site. The website is available at www.iaff7thdistrict.org. I havealso created a 7th District Vice President Facebook page, as well as a7th District Facebook page. Both our Twitter and Facebook accountsare now utilized to disseminate information to the district andbeyond. I will continue to consider various avenues of messagedelivery to assure timely uptake of news and other information byIAFF members. On another front, the 7th District Caucus has been an overwhelmingsuccess thanks to the commitment of the State Association ExecutiveBoards and the 7th District IAFF State Representatives. Montanahosted the caucus in 2012 and Washington in 2013 with support fromBozeman Local 613, Vancouver Local 452 and 7th Districtheadquarters as the primary sponsors. The 2012 caucus featured 7thDistrict, IAFF affiliate, friend and life coach Donna Forgy as well asmandatory team-building exercises for all attendees. In 2013, thecaucus featured “How to Talk Union” with John Kretzschmar and ateam-building exercise enjoyed by all attendees. We invite you to visitand view on the 7th District website. The 7th District Caucus is alsosponsored by DiMartino Associates, MDA and Alaska Airlines. The

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7th District State Leadership Team functions together as one in aneffort to give all members of the 7th District every opportunity togrow and be successful. The Magnificent 7th District and the associated state organizationscontinue to invest in education. Annually, each state associationpresents a joint education conference in partnership with the 7thDistrict Office. The subject matter varies from general classes to topicsspecific to the state in which the conference is held. Instructorbackgrounds vary from local union members with expertise to stateagency representatives. The 7th District Office also partnered with theWSCFF, PFFI, MSCOPFF and the HAMMER training facility toconduct an annual Fire Ops 101 event in Richland, Washington.Invitations for the event are sent to all 7th District locals encouragingthem to bring their local decision makers for ‘a day in the life of afirefighter.’ During the event, policy makers from the Northwestinteract with the simulations and experience a small part of what firefighters go through on a daily basis. Tri-City Locals 1052, 1296, 1433and I-24 deserve acknowledgement for the success of this program, aswell as my younger sibling Battalion Chief Curtis Walsh who I counton heavily to make this program happen. Fire Ops 101 has been sosuccessful in the 7th District, we have branched out to have an event inJuneau and an annual event in Boise. To date, the 7th District teamhas graduated over 400 policy makers from the Fire Ops 101program. I wish to thank the many dedicated union leaders and fireservice professionals who work to make these events a success. Specialthanks to Assistant to the General President Lori Moore-Merrell whois paramount to the success of these highly anticipated and sold-outevents.Looking towards the future, a new and exciting educational programwas born out of the 7th District office this year titled “The YoungMember Conference.” The program is designed to be a part ofsuccession planning for every local and state office, as well as this officeas we educate and mentor new leaders. The Young MemberConference was limited to those local affiliate members born in orafter 1980, and it is considered to be a shining star on the horizon forconsideration for union leadership positions. This is a new concept asopposed to the concept that “It’s your turn in the barrel,” whichis practiced by too many of our affiliates. In its inaugural year, 192young members participated in a two-and-a-half-day seminar wherethey learned about IAFF history, labor history, politics, stateassociation history, real world views and research resources. Thisconference will be an annual event in the 7th District.This office continues to service the locals of the Magnificent 7th withthe assistance of the IAFF headquarters and the State ExecutiveBoards. The work of the IAFF State Representatives, appointed byGeneral President Schaitberger after consulting with me, cannot beoverstated. The work of contract assistance, jurisdictional issues andlocal business model formulation are just some of their assignments.This office could not achieve the success it has without the dedicationof these brothers and sisters.The Magnificent 7th District office continues to oversee the 7thDistrict Benevolent Fund, primarily to assist 7th District memberswhen they hit bumps in the “road of life.” This has been a highlysuccessful endeavor that has truly hit its target of existence. Themoney for the fund is generated by the members themselves throughannual events such as the Shad Fishing Derby, the Rum and Diet golftournament, the Salmon Derby and the sales of Magnificent 7thDistrict clothing. The bi-annual 7th District Gala, held at the IAFFConvention, is the largest fundraiser for the program. The fund is alsoavailable to 7th District locals who have community needs but lack the

resources of a charitable fund. In addition to assisting members oraffiliate communities in their times of need, six annual collegescholarships are awarded to children of 7th District membersbeginning their first post-high school educational experience. Specialacknowledgement goes out to Brother Bill Dodd (Local 710) for hisexpertise in the initial set up and his continued support as the official7th District Benevolent Fund accountant.The 7th District perseveres in its support of FIREPAC, continuing tosurpass the previous years’ totals in 2012 and 2013. I want torecognize and give thanks to all IAFF state and local officers for theirefforts and attention to FIREPAC, their state association PACs, as welltheir local affiliate PACs. AGP Kevin O’Connor, David Billy and theentire staff of the IAFF Governmental Affairs Division are to becommended for assisting me and the members of the Magnificent 7thin achieving more dues check off locals than any other district. Theyare truly there for us when we need them!The Magnificent 7th District not only gives dollars to politicalactivity, but also time and effort. All State Associations were heavilyinvolved in politics. In Alaska, the AKPFFA made great strides inelecting friendly politicians to their state House to assist their pursuitof collective bargaining and a defined benefit pension plans for theirmembers hired since 2006. Additionally, AKPFFA beat back proposedRight to Work legislation again, but we expect to be in the same battlein coming years. This year, they have been on the stump to preserveU.S. Senator Mark Begich in a top-tier race considered. In Washington, the WSCFF was actively engaged in the governor’srace supporting long-time friend and former U.S. Congressman JayInslee, taking him from a 20-point deficit to the governor’s mansion.The WSCFF has been forced to work very hard to hold onto theircurrent collective bargaining law and pension funding due to theformation of a bipartisan Senate majority caucus. The PFFI continues to try to gain a presumptive law. This session,they were double-crossed by one member, a ranking committee chair,even though the bill had great bipartisan support. The PFFI alsofought against an anti-collective bargaining bill in two consecutivesessions. The MSCOPFF successfully defended U.S. Senator Jon Testerand elected Steve Bullock (D) as governor. They will be fiercelyfighting to defend U.S. Senator John Walsh, who was appointed toreplace Max Baucus, in another top-tier race. Finally, 13 members ofthe 7th District graduated from the IAFF Political Action Training(PAT) Academy over the past two years, and many past 7th DistrictPAT graduates continue to work at the IAFF’s pleasure when called.The 7th District continues to grow, both in the number of locals andin membership. New locals have been chartered in every state in thedistrict during the last two years, with many potential efforts yet to beexplored. Our growth in these uncertain economic times is atestament to the hard work of the members of the Magnificent 7thDistrict, as we continue to grow even in these uncertain economictimes.On a personal note, I retired from the Richland Fire Department onOctober 1, 2013. During the previous nine years, I juggleddepartment work schedules and the responsibilities and duties of theDistrict Vice President, admittedly with some stress. I would like tothank my home Local 1052 for the support that only a small localcould give, particularly absent any management support. It surely isappreciated. I look forward to having just one full-time job goingforward from here.I would be remiss if I did not mention and whole-heartedly thankthe following State President and Secretary-Treasurer teams for theiroverwhelming support: (WSCFF) Kelly Fox and Greg Markley,

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(MSCOFF) Joel Fassbinder and Dave Van Son, (AKPFFA) Tom Wescottand Brian Partch, and (PFFI) Tom Lovell and Curtis Smith. Inaddition, a whole-hearted thank you and farewell to my close friendRon Davies, former PFFI President who served with a vision that haschanged the PFFI forever. Also, thank you to the State Executive Boardmembers, DFSRs and all of the IAFF Service Representatives of the 7thDistrict. Without their sacrifice and support, working for you would beimmensely difficult. Additionally, I thank all of the staff at IAFFheadquarters for their talent and dedication to assisting the DVPs, thestate associations and the locals of this great International. It is difficultto express the proper gratitude to General President Schaitberger andGeneral Secretary-Treasurer Miller for their guidance and assistance tothe 7th District and myself. I can only say thank you, and I enjoy thejourney that we share. Last but not least, thank you to my family andmy close friends for their sacrifices and understanding as I carry out mycommitment to the members of the 7th District and the IAFF.In closing, the above represents a mere summary of the highlights ofthe last two years in the Magnificent 7th District. It could not entirelyreflect the continued dedication, hard work and sacrifices of the localand state leadership or its members on behalf of this great InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters. It is an honor and truly a privilege to serveall of you. I urge you to support the resolutions presented to you by theExecutive Board, as they address issues that will benefit the members ofthis great International Union. This week demands your attention, butis also a time of growth. Cultivate new relationships and solidify oldfriendships, as they are valuable beyond words, never to be taken forgranted. Above all, enjoy your experience at Convention. Stay safe!

PAUL HUFNAGEL8TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the International Associationof Fire Fighters Constitution and By-Laws,Article VI, Section 3, I respectfully submit thisreport of my activities as 8th District VicePresident to the General President, GeneralSecretary Treasurer, Executive Board, and thedelegates at the 52nd biennial Convention of the

IAFF in Cincinnati, Ohio. This report summarizes my activities onbehalf of the members in the IAFF 8th District from March 2012through April 2014.I was assigned by the General President to serve on the followingExecutive Board committees: Budget and Finance —Communications, Media and Public Affairs — Emergency MedicalServices — Grants Administration/HazMat/WMD - Health &Safety/Redmond Foundation — Information and Technology —Organizing and Field Services — Rival Organizations — Ad HocResolutions.I attended scheduled executive board and committee meetings alongwith completing assignments delegated to me by the GeneralPresident.The economies of state and local governments in the 8th District areslowly recovering from the devastating impact of the Great Recession.After numerous years of facing concessionary bargaining, manyregions in the district are experiencing stable staffing numbers andmodest improvements in wages and benefits. Although the economy isslowly improving, we need to remain vigilant in protecting our definedbenefit pension plans and preventing attempts to privatize our work.During the past two years I have worked with local and state affiliates

providing personal support as needed, assistance using IAFF programsand staff, and assigning district field service representatives and stateservice representatives to work directly with affiliates.Following is a brief description of some of the services and resourcesdelivered throughout the district during the past two years.

IAFF TECHNICAL AND FIELD SERVICES IN DISTRICT 8

Over the past two years, we have provided hundreds of MunicipalFinancial Analyses (MFA), dozens of Geographical InformationSystem (GIS) studies, and numerous contract database comparablereports for affiliates in the district. This data supported state and localunions in their efforts to improve wages, benefits, and workingconditions for IAFF members.Working with IAFF staff, DFSRs and Service Representatives, weprovided many locals with assistance in collective bargaining, publicrelations, media collaboration, health and safety, political action, legalissues, and EMS along with all of the other resources readily availableto local leadership from the IAFF.District field service representatives and state service representativesdelivered more than 200 days of service in the district organizing newlocals, bargaining first contracts, and on special assignments assistinglocal affiliates on a wide range of issues.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

Education and training for local union officers and representativesare important functions of the IAFF and are critical to the success ofaffiliates. We have developed more than a hundred education andtraining programs in multiple areas: Collective bargaining —Grievance and Arbitration — Pension Systems — Health and Safety— Fire Ground Survival. Working in conjunction with stateassociations in the district, we provided our membership access tomany of these programs with jointly sponsored IAFF/State Associationseminars.In the fall of 2012, we initiated a district training program for localunions offering a two-day 8th District PEP seminar for union officersand representatives. Over the two years since the inception of thisprogram, we have provided additional training to more than 300union leaders representing approximately 100 locals in the 8thDistrict.In addition, we continue to sponsor an annual training program for8th District DFSRs and state service reps. This program provides theopportunity for service reps to improve their skills and abilities inproviding expert assistance to locals on an extensive number of criticalissues locals face every day.

ORGANIZING NEW LOCALS

We continue to increase IAFF membership in the district. Over thepast two years, we have organized approximately 17 locals — both fireand EMS — representing more than 190 new members in the 8thDistrict.

SAFER GRANT PROGRAM

The federal SAFER Grant program continues to support locals thatare still recovering from the economic disaster caused by the GreatRecession. More than one hundred local governments across the 8thDistrict received $187 million in assistance through SAFER since 2010.

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The IAFF provided assistance on the application process for morethan $102 million of these awards. Through the work of the IAFFpolitical team in Washington and the lobbying efforts of our membersthroughout the country, IAFF members have remained on the job.The SAFER program will continue in 2014 to provide assistance tolocal governments, ensure that adequate fire fighter staffing is in placeto protect the public, and keep our members safe on the job.In concluding my report for the 2014 Convention, I would like totake this opportunity to thank General President Schaitberger andGeneral Secretary-Treasurer Miller, along with their staffs, for all oftheir efforts on behalf of the IAFF and its members.I also want to recognize the state associations in the 8th District forthe vital role they fill by representing IAFF members on collectivebargaining and pensions issues at their state capitals, partnering withthe IAFF in providing training and education programs, and workingin conjunction with the IAFF to deliver resources and services to localsin their respective states. With their cooperation and efforts, we areable to work more effectively and efficiently ensuring that local leadershave necessary resources to fulfill their responsibilities. And finally, I want to thank our members who provide the financialsupport that allows the IAFF to develop and deliver essential servicesand resources to assist affiliates in their day-to-day operations.I look forward to a productive and successful IAFF 52nd Conventionhere in Cincinnati.

RAY R. RAHNE 9TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

Pursuant to Article 6, Section 3 of theConstitution and By-Laws of the InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters, I respectfully submitthe following report of my activities as VicePresident of the 9th District, to General PresidentHarold Schaitberger, General Secretary-Treasurer

Thomas Miller, the IAFF Executive Board and all officers and delegatesin attendance at this, the 52nd Convention of the InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters assembled in Cincinnati, OH. Because ofthe time needed to prepare and produce Convention documents, thisreport is written and submitted in April of 2014. Consequently, eventsoccurring after April 1, 2014 are not included.I was honored to be elected IAFF 9th District Vice President inDecember 2012 to fill the vacancy left by the untimely and way tooearly passing of our former 9th District Vice President and my bestfriend Randall E. Atkinson. Randy was a phenomenal leader for themembers of the 9th District and to all of the brothers and sisters in theIAFF. Randy represented the 9th District with honor, integrity, prideand dignity. Atkinson was a true unionist and will never be forgottenby the 9th District and the IAFF Executive Board he served with. At the2013 Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial in beautiful Colorado Springs, theIAFF paid tribute to two union legends on the memorial wall, RandyAtkinson and Brother Jim Judd from Utah. Brother Judd also servedUtah and the IAFF with honor, integrity, pride and dignity. I know the9th District and the entire IAFF will miss both these distinguishedunion leaders.The General President has called several meetings of the IAFFExecutive Board during this reporting period. I have attended eachsession of these meetings representing, to the best of my ability, theinterests, needs and concerns of the members of the five states thatcomprise the 9th District and all IAFF members. The General President

appointed me to serve on the following committees: EmergencyMedical Services (Chair), Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial (Vice Chair),Scholarship Funds (Trustee), Canadian Affairs, Government and PublicAffairs and Legal Services.I have had the opportunity and honor to travel to each of thefive states within the 9th District on numerous occasions during thisreporting period. The 9th District held an informational meeting inJanuary 2013 for the 9th District state leadership at the ALTSconference in Phoenix. Another 9th District Leadership Forum washeld in June of 2013 with an excellent turnout from many localsthroughout the 9th District in Las Vegas. I attended two superbEducational Seminars in Oregon sponsored by the Oregon StateCouncil of Fire Fighters in 2013 and 2014. Both these seminars hadexcellent participation from the members of Oregon. The delegates andguests were treated to outstanding speakers and incredibly educationalPEP classes. The professional staff of the IAFF with Education Trainingand Human Relations customized a human relations class for Local4196. The class was presented by two highly trained Human RelationsCommittee members and I was extremely impressed with the results ofthis customized HR session. The IAFF also prepared customized PEPclasses for Wyoming and Colorado regarding needs of each state andpresented by exceptionally skilled IAFF PEP instructors. Both PEPsessions received high accolades from all those who attended. Nevadaalso held leadership forums and I had the privilege to attend theseclasses as well as the Nevada state conventions in 2013. Las Vegas wasalso the site of the IAFF IDC conference where DSFRs, staterepresentatives, HazMats instructors, PEP instructors and DVPs met todiscuss issues such as the Affordable Care Act, Active Shooter andFire-Based Community Healthcare Provider Programs. I took anorganizing and informational trip to locals throughout Wyoming andwas able to speak before the Wyoming State AFL-CIO meeting. Theorganizing part of this trip was also successful as we were able toorganize a new local, Mills Professional Fire Fighters Local 4961. Thistrip was well received by the Wyoming locals and I hope to do the samein Nevada, Oregon and Utah during 2014 and 2015. As being assignedto the Canadian Affairs committee, I had the honor to travel to NovaScotia, Canada to attend the Canadian Policy Conference. I want tothank the Canadian brothers and sisters for their invitation, hospitalityand impressive informational conference. Denver was the site for the2013 IAFF Redmond/EMS Conference. Redmond/EMS is a first-classconference dedicated to health and safety as well as EMS issuesthroughout the IAFF. I appreciate the committed union members andfire service professionals, who worked the event, to make thisconference a huge success. Special thanks to Assistants to the GeneralPresident Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and Pat Morrison who wereparamount to the success of this highly regarded event. The DenverMetro locals did an outstanding job in helping the IAFF make thisconference an enjoyable event. I also would be remiss if I didn’t thankNorth Metro Fire and Local 2203 for their expertise in running the FireOps 101 during this conference. I also had the opportunity to attendthe IAFF First Collective Bargaining seminar in Memphis, TN. Thisseminar was modeled after the very successful Political TrainingAcademy. IAFF members were able to gain knowledge on how to besuccessful in managing collective bargaining referendums or ballotmeasures. Memphis Local 1784 and 14th District Vice President Toddmade all attendees truly understand southern hospitality.The 9th District had great success in getting jobs back for three of ourmembers in Nevada. The first was William Snyder of North LyonsCounty Local 4547. Bill was terminated because of vague accusationswith no merit. Snyder was awarded his job back with retroactive pay

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and benefits. Pahrump Local 4068 had two members, Delucchi andHollis, both discharged for trumped-up and unlawful reasons. Thelocal won an arbitration award to put both these members back towork, but the town of Pahrump refused to abide by the arbitrationruling. Local 4068 took the town to Court to uphold the arbitrationruling. Delucchi and Hollis are now back at work and being madewhole by the town. All three of these wins could not have beenaccomplished without the IAFF Executive Board, the IAFF LegalDepartment and the IAFF staff for their expert work. Colorado has aGuardian Case for the firing of President Aragon of Stratmoor HillsLocal 4955. Aragon was fired because he was the President of this newlyorganized local. IAFF Attorney Woodley and President Aragon areboth encouraged with recent communications from the attorney of thedistrict that will soon culminate with Aragon getting his job back andbeing made whole by the district.These last two years, as you all know, have continued to be a struggle,with attacks on collective bargaining, pensions, jobs and continuing tomake locals go to court to uphold favorable arbitration awards. In somestates we are starting to see a small turn around, but there are still manylocals that have not seen a raise in over three years. This is not becauseof lack of leadership but rather bad politicians trying to take advantageof extraordinarily difficult times in our nation. There is one positivethat I have seen from these tough times and that is the development ofleadership in the 9th District. I have seen new and old leaders being putinto a dreadful situation and have seen these leaders emerge as evenstronger leaders. I believe that the toughest job in this greatInternational Union is being a Local President. I’m extremely proud ofthe local leadership in the 9th District, and I know we will all continuethe fight to help our members concerning wages, benefits and workingconditions.Legislatively, all the 9th District states had success during thisreporting period. Colorado was able to accomplish the unbelievablewhen the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters (CPFF) passed acollective bargaining bill, SB 25, for all professional fire fighters in thestate. This was a very complex bill that was passed during theextraordinarily bad political climate of 2013. SB 25 was passed with acollaborative effort by the IAFF, the CPFF leadership team andlegislative friends. Nevada had a successful legislative session in 2013 bybeating back attacks on pensions and collective bargaining. Nevadadeveloped a very effective statewide public relations program that hasdrastically increased the image of fire fighters throughout thestate. Oregon was enormously successful in the 2014 legislative sessionby passing three great bills and stopping a proposed statewidereferendum initiative for Right to Work in the upcoming Novemberelection. The first bill, SB 1518, is a bill which narrowed the definitionof a supervisory employee for fire fighters’ collective bargaining. Thisbill will decrease the ability of employers to remove existing fire fightersfrom the bargaining unit based on supervisory duties and in somecases give mid-level managers the ability to vote to join a union. Thesecond bill, SB 4055, closes a loophole in the funding of Oregon’s911 call centers, providing a mechanism to collect the 75 cents a monthfee to pre-paid cell phones. The third bill, HB 4104, allows one to betreated for an on the job injury in a timely manner and states that whowill pay, will be worked out later. The Utah 2014 legislative session wassuccessful because there were zero attempts by the legislature toattack fire fighters and /or labor in this general session. The zero attackswere attributed to numerous reasons, including the fact that during thelast two sessions in Utah the Professional Fire Fighters of Utah (PFFU)killed all 10 anti-labor bills that were brought before the Utahlegislators; the PFFU maintained a daily presence at the state capital

and the Utah One labor Coalition provided a united front. The PFFUalso supported seven bills that passed during this session. WyomingFederated Fire Fighters were able to stop an attack on their collectivebargaining law. In this short legislative session of 20 days, a bill wasintroduced to eliminate binding arbitration, which would haveeffectively done away with collective bargaining for the Wyoming firefighters. This bill was defeated by the quick action of the WyomingFederated Fire Fighters, the IAFF and political friends of the WyomingFire Fighters. The continued success of the 9th District is due in largepart, to the outstanding cooperation and networking among locals,state associations and our great International Union!The 9th District Field Service Representative (DFSR), Jeff Hamilton,was extremely busy during this reporting period, doing workthroughout the 9th District. Jeff has dealt with everything fromarbitration to organizing. I know the extensive time Jeff spent this yearwith Sheridan Local 276 helped them come through another toughnegotiation that went to arbitration. Sheridan Local 276 is in the finalprocess of receiving a phenomenal arbitration award. Those of youwho had the pleasure of working with Jeff know he does exceptionalwork and is a true professional.I want to express my thanks to each local union office for theirdedication, time and work they have given the members of their locals.A special thanks to President Mike Rogers, Colorado Professional FireFighters; President Rusty McAllister, Professional Fire Fighters ofNevada; President Kelly Bach, Oregon State Fire Fighters Council;President Jack Tidrow, Professional Fire Fighters of Utah and PresidentJoe Fender, Federated Fire Fighters of Wyoming. I value the friendship,support and advice they have given me these past years. In giving theirtime and talent they have made the International Association of FireFighters stronger for all IAFF members. I would also like tocongratulate President Rusty McAllister of Nevada for his strong workand graduating from the prestigious Harvard Trade Union Programthis year.There will be numerous important resolutions before the delegates atthe IAFF 2014 Convention this year and I urge careful consideration ofeach resolution. The action that takes place at this Conventionrepresents your future and the future of this great International andyour local. Both “pay check protection” and Right to Work legislationremain popular with members of the far right anti-worker element.Both measures would destroy the ability of the IAFF, and that of allunions, to represent the working men and women at thebargaining table. As union leaders, it is our responsibility toeducate our members regarding these issues so they can makemore informed decisions when faced with these issues at the ballotbox. These are union issues and they will impact your family’sfuture.A special thanks to General President Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Miller and all the IAFF departments and theirstaff for supporting the 9th District with our numerous requeststhroughout this reporting period.The 9th District has received $36,673,428 in SAFER awards forthe FY 2010 — FY 2013 reporting period and over $85,000 in EDFgrants and loans.

New locals this reporting period were:• Local 4925 Philomath Professional Fire Fighters OR• Local 4951 Colorado River Fire Fighters CO• Local 4955 Stratmoor Hills Fire Fighters CO• Local 4961 Mills Professional Fire Fighters WY

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JAMES FERGUSON10TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

Pursuant to the IAFF Constitution &By-Laws, Article VI, Duties of InternationalOfficers, Section 3, Officers’ Report toConvention, I hereby submit my officer’sreport for the IAFF 10th District, AZ, CA, HI,

NM for the 52nd Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio during July,2014. As fast as things are changing in the fire service, much ofthis report will be stale information (Report due 4/10/2014) bythe time we get to the Convention in July. Since our Conventionin Philadelphia two years ago, much has happened in the fireservice; the media attacks have been very brutal, especially thelegislative attempts to end the defined benefit pensions of firefighters and other public employees. “As the stampede towards‘Reinventing Government’ continues, only a concerted,coordinated strategy on the part of public sector labor unions willguard against the urge on the part of frustrated voters to throwthe baby out with the bath water. Our membership must be ableto count on the maximum level of political access and support asany other interest group competing forthe attention of elected officials.” Youmight think that was something I wrotein the last month or so, it was actuallyfrom a piece I wrote in August 1994.The attacks on public employeepensions are going on in almost everystate; at my last count 46 states havetaken a shot at changing the benefitstructure. They have used the legislativeprocess, the initiative process, thebankruptcy process, with them goingafter the already retired public employeesin Detroit. The city of Detroit has filedthe largest and most complex municipalbankruptcy in the history of such filings.In Detroit, the emergency financialmanager filed a plan to bring the city outof bankruptcy. It’s a combination ofpension cuts of 10% for fire and policeretirees, 30% cuts for miscellaneousretirees, with proposal to only provideabout 20 cents on the dollar for bondholders. Remember this is a state with astate constitutional amendment that says,“Pensions shall be a contractualobligation thereof which shall not bediminished or impaired thereby.” Sincethe above proposal was submitted, it hasbeen amended to make it less favorableto retirees. In my opinion, the appealswill last for another couple of year withthe whole issue going before the U.S.Supreme Court sometime in the future.But you can see how easy it is for themedia to create envy or jealousy bylooking at the following break-out onpensions. They label public employees as“selfish” and “greedy.”

PENSION BENEFITS FOR WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES:

• 41% have NO pension benefits (except Social Security).• 26% have defined contribution pension plans.• 25% have defined benefit pension plans, (mostly public

employees, only 4% of private sector still have definedbenefit pensions).

• 6% have some other type of pension plan.• 2% don’t know if they have any plan.

Remember the words of General President Schaitberger: “Everydecision that is made that effects the wages, hours, or workingconditions of fire fighters is made by somebody elected orsomeone appointed by someone elected.” Stay strong; we havea lot of work to do.

The following table lists the successes in the 10th District of theIAFF SAFER Grant Awards program.

Department IAFF District State IAFF # Amount Year

San Jose Fire Department 10th CA L0230 $14,922,759 2010Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 10th CA L1230 $9,571,500 2013San Jose Fire Department 10th CA L0230 $8,623,206 2011City of Phoenix Fire Department 10th AZ L0493 * $8,019,900 2013East Contra Costa Fire Protection District 10th CA L1230 $7,809,480 2011Oakland Fire Department 10th CA L0055 $7,782,240 2012Kern County Fire Department 10th CA L1301 $7,028,700 2011City of Phoenix Fire Department 10th AZ L0493 * $6,830,426 2010Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 10th CA L1230 $6,525,929 2010Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District 10th CA L0522 $5,632,152 2012City of Sacramento 10th CA L0522 $5,606,864 2010Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District 10th CA L0522 $5,470,823 2010City of Phoenix Fire Department 10th AZ L0493 * $5,301,912 2012City of Chico Fire and Rescue 10th CA L2734 $5,289,450 2013West Covina Fire Department 10th CA L3226 * $4,661,329 2013Alameda County Fire Department 10th CA L0055 * $4,165,488 2013Citrus Co. Board of County Commissioners 10th CA L4562 $3,855,654 2010City of San Bernardino Fire Department 10th CA L0891 $3,363,972 2011City of San Bernardino Fire Department 10th CA L0891 $3,055,989 2012City of Oxnard 10th CA L1684 * $2,970,108 2011City of Salinas Fire Department 10th CA L1270 * $2,905,419 2013Salinas 10th CA L1270 $2,891,267 2010City of Fresno Fire Department 10th CA L0753 $2,587,200 2013Santa Rosa Fire Department 10th CA L1401 * $2,560,068 2012City of Fresno Fire Department 10th CA L0753 $2,533,608 2011City of Ventura Fire Department 10th CA L3431 * $2,430,056 2013City of Oxnard 10th CA L1684 * $2,227,581 2012Roseville 10th CA L1592 $2,222,304 2011Hollister Fire Department 10th CA L3395 $2,199,420 2013City of Hesperia Fire Protection District 10th CA L4162 $2,012,583 2012Glendale Fire Department 10th AZ L0493 * $1,938,120 2013Downey Fire Department 10th CA L3473 $1,886,958 2012Alameda Fire Department 10th CA L0689 * $1,763,754 2011County of Los Angeles Fire Department 10th CA L1014 $1,694,700 2011Lathrop Manteca Fire District 10th CA L4317 $1,666,170 2011North Tahoe Fire Protection District 10th CA L3729 $1,614,627 2013Northwest Fire District 10th AZ L3572 $1,521,996 2013Redding Fire Department 10th CA L1934 $1,405,401 2012Barstow Fire District 10th CA L2325 $1,392,882 2013Placer County Fire Department 10th CA L4410 $1,197,134 2012Five Cities Fire Authority 10th CA L4403 $1,182,693 2011Menlo Park Fire Protection District 10th CA L2400 $1,154,802 2011Desert Hills Fire District 10th AZ L2974 * $1,037,352 2012Ceres Department of Public Safety Fire Division 10th CA L3636 * $1,029,972 2011

IAFF SAFER Awards FY10 FY13

*Indicates local received assistance from IAFF Grants Department

SAFER 2010 2013 IAFF Awards Page 1

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SANDY MCGHEE11TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the InternationalAssociation of Firefighters Constitution andBy-Laws Article VI, Section 3, I amrespectfully submitting to the officers anddelegates assembled at the 52nd bienniel

IAFF Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio this report of my activitiesas the District 11 Vice President. My report covers the periodfrom September 2012 through April 2014.These District 11 fire fighters lost their lives through line-of-dutydeaths. They will forever be in our hearts. Their families willcontinually be in our thoughts and prayers.

Lieutenant David E. Smith L-975 Austin, TX 3-4-2014

District Chief James A. Gardner L-4405 Midland, TX 1-9-2014

Engineer Juan Pablo Casanova L-970 Brownsville, TX 8-10-2013

Engineer Robert R. Beebe L-341 Houston, TX 5-31-2013

Firefighter Robert H. Garner L-341 Houston, TX 5-31-2013

Captain Matthew R. Renaud L-341 Houston, TX 5-31-2013

Firefighter Ann Sullivan L-341 Houston, TX 5-31-2013

Captain Walter J. Werhun L-2359 Edmond, OK 4-27-2013

Captain Kenneth L. Harris L-58 Dallas, TX 4-17-2013

Firefighter Marcos J. Aranda L-872 Laredo, TX 3-22-2013

Captain Robert Lee Wise L-4405 Midland, TX 2-23-2013

Lieutenant Gregory Pickard L-1204 Bryan, TX 2-16-2013

Lieutenant Eric Wallace L-1204 Bryan, TX 2-16-2013

Firefighter Keith Schoenberg L-341 Houston, TX 11-12-2012

Fire Investigator Joe H. Delgadillo L-341 Houston, TX 9-30-2012

District 11 continues to lead the way in the IAFF’s Fill-the-Bootcampaign for muscular dystrophy. The Mighty 11th has held thetop spot in collections for several years. In 2012, District 11 firefighters collected $4,204,322. In 2012, Texas led the nation incollections by state with $3,491,755. In 2012, Oklahoma firefighters collected $712,564. In 2013, District 11 collected$4,587,529 for MDA. Texas was again first in total collections bystate and Oklahoma was ninth with $762,511. Of the top tenaffiliates in collections for Fill-the-Boot in 2012, Houston L-341was second in the nation with $502,261, Dallas L-58 wasfourth with $425,738, Oklahoma City L-157 was seventh with$229,221, and San Antonio L-623 was eighth with $216,551. In2013 of the top ten affiliates for collection in the Fill-the-Bootprogram, Houston L-341 was second with $510,564, Dallas L-58was fourth with $421,507, Oklahoma City was sixth with$323,818, and San Antonio L-624 was ninth with $208,710. Iwant to personally thank every affiliate that works so hard tocollect for MDA. The IAFF is the largest single contributor toMDA and the fire fighters in District 11 are a large part of ourunion’s success.General President Schaitberger has re-assigned me as acommittee member to the Executive Board Education andTraining Committee, the Emergency Disputes Fund Committee,the Emergency Medical Services Committee, and the Fallen FireFighter Memorial Committee. I have been appointed by theGeneral President as Co-Chair of the Budget andFinance Committee and Chair of the Government and PoliticalAffairs Committee. I have also been assigned as a member of theLegal Services Committee. During the reporting period I have

retained my appointment to the IAFF Financial Corporation’sBoard of Directors. For 2014, I have been appointed to theExecutive Board Ad Hoc Resolutions Committee.During this reporting period, I have attended all IAFF ExecutiveBoard meetings, committee meetings, conferences, and seminarsas expected and required. However, I was excused from theSeptember 2013 and June 2013 Executive Board meetings due tothe tragic line-of-duty deaths in Bryan, TX and Houston, TX,respectively. I have also attended as many Texas State Associationof Firefighters and Professional Firefighters of OklahomaExecutive Board meetings as possible. In addition, I have alsoattended the Southern Federation of Professional FirefightersConferences and the National Conference on Public EmployeeRetirement Systems (NCPERS) Public Safety Conferences in 2013and 2014.The 11th District continues to grow. During this reportingperiod the District has seen the addition of several new locals. Ifrequently field inquiries from potential new affiliates, and theorganizing efforts are continuous as we pursue our goal ofrepresenting every paid fire department in the 11th District. Sincethe 51st Convention, the following new locals have been added tothe 11th District:

Local Name Members Charter date

3237 Sulphur Springs Prof. Fire Fighters Assoc., TX 15 8/15/2013

3933 Cleveland Fire Department, OK 4 6/1/2013

4914 Ce-Bar Professional Fire Fighters Assoc., TX 10 11/9/2012

4929 DFW Airport Fire Fighters Assoc., TX 3 2/1/2013

4930 Richland Hills Fire Fighters Assoc., TX 13 2/5/2013

4934 North Lake Travis Fire Fighters Association, TX 8 3/18/2013

4935 Spring Branch Prof. Fire Fighters Assoc., TX 13 3/18/2013

4937 Travis County Prof. Fire Fighters Assoc. Dist. 12, TX 3 3/11/2013

4949 Pantego Fire Fighters Association, TX 8 5/7/2013

4958 Smith County Professional Fire Fighters ESD #2, TX 3 9/1/2013

4964 Pearland Prof. Fire Fighters, TX 27 10/1/2013

4970 District 7 Fire Rescue, TX 16 10/16/2013

4975 Howe Prof. Fire Fighters Association, TX 4 12/1/2013

4978 District 2 Fire Fighters Association/ Bexar County, TX 3 3/18/2014

4983 Bulverde Prof. Fire Fighters Association, TX 8 1/7/2014

4989 Somervell County Professional Fire Fighters Association, TX 6 3/18/2014

Our mission of outfitting local affiliate leaders with the tools theyneed to be successful is ongoing. I believe education and trainingare critical to the long-term success not only of the 11th District,but also our union. One of the best resources for accomplishingthe challenge of educating local union leaders is the materialprovided by the International’s Department of Training andEducation. With the assistance of DFSR’s Rick Beams and JoeTellez, we continue to provide educational opportunities aroundthe District where we deliver IAFF educational material to unionleaders. In October of 2013, we piloted a regional AffiliateLeadership Training Summit type of event for District 11. OurDistrict Partnership Education Program (PEP) event was held inIrving, TX, which is centrally located in the district.Our event was formatted in tracks, consisting of topic-specificworkshops to develop a comprehensive cross section ofworkshops to provide focused instruction. The following tracksand workshops offered were tailored to meet the needs and issuesfacing a majority of the affiliates in District 11:

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Union LeadershipUnderstanding Union LeadershipLocal Union AdministrationIntroduction to GrievancesAffordable Care Act (ACA) Overview and UpdatesHow to Run a Meeting

Local Planning and PoliticsOverview of Member ServicesFighting Service/Performance Level ThreatsMedia Strategy and MessagingPlanning a Fire Ops 101 EventOrganizing and Implementing a Community Outreach Program

Advanced Negotiations and Contract LanguageAdvanced Skills for NegotiatorsWriting Contract Language

Union Officer ResponsibilitiesIntroduction to Political ActionRecruiting and Endorsing CandidatesUnderstanding Municipal BudgetsAchieving Goals: Non-Collective Bargaining EnvironmentsPreparing for Negotiations

Our event had 135 paid attendees representing 48 local affiliates.Overall, the feedback was positive and the course material waswell received.We continue to make the “Establishing a PAC Fund”presentation in both Texas and Oklahoma as we work to build thelocal political operations of our affiliates. As a result, we have seena significant increase in the number of affiliates who haveestablished local PAC funds. This increase in the number of PACsacross the district will have an enormous impact on our ability toadvance the political agenda of fire fighters. Because of the sharpuptick in the number of affiliates with PAC funds, we have beguna PAC co-op program. Our co-op is simply a way to maximizethe PAC dollars of our local affiliates with the single goal ofelecting fire fighter–friendly candidates wherever possible. Wecontinue to make the presentation, “Winning ReferendumElections,” around the district as we work to educate affiliates onthe nuts and bolts of running referendum elections. Werecommended DFSR Joe Tellez and Conroe, TX L-2731 PresidentJohn Riddle for appointment to the first ever IAFF PoliticalTraining Academy for Referendum Elections held in Memphis,TN. We plan to utilize these members to train affiliates andaffiliate leaders who are considering referendum elections toaccomplish their goals.During this reporting period, I continued to consult with theaffiliate leaders in District 11 daily. I worked as the InterestArbitrator, consulted on grievance and disciplinary issues, andworked on negotiation issues for numerous locals in the district. Iworked with countless local affiliate leaders and assisted them asthey faced the challenges of leading a local union. I consulted withand assisted directly with the locals that pursued, worked and ranreferendum elections.I want to thank General President Schaitberger for his leadership,his guidance and advice he has given me over the years. It hasproven to be invaluable, and I am thankful for it. I want to thankGeneral Secretary-Treasurer Miller for his work and assistance to

affiliates in District 11. To the other members of the IAFFExecutive Board, thank you for your continued assistance.There are not adequate words to express my sincere appreciationto all of the staff at the IAFF. Thank you for your outstandingwork. I appreciate your assistance, and all that you do for thisInternational and the members of District 11.I would be remiss if I did not thank the leadership of the twooutstanding state associations in the 11th District for all of thesupport and great work that is done on behalf of IAFF membersin Texas and Oklahoma. President Guy Turner andSecretary-Treasurer J.R. Sullivan lead a great organization in Texaswhich provides outstanding service in all the areas that affectprofessional fire fighters. In Oklahoma, President Rick Beams andSecretary-Treasurer Jim Long lead an Executive Board of nineVice Presidents that are always on the frontlines for Oklahoma firefighters. To both organizations, keep up the good fight.District Field Service Representatives Joe Tellez and Rick Beamsare outstanding union leaders and great assets to all of theaffiliates in District 11. I thank them for their loyalty andcommend their efforts and commitment to advance the agenda ofprofessional fire fighters. Without the support and hard work ofthese two exceptional leaders in the district who have shown anunwavering commitment to improving the overall well-being ofprofessional fire fighters, I would not be able to do my job ordeliver the service that is deserved by the members of the 11thDistrict.With the blessing and support of my wife Tina, my family, andmy home local Tulsa fire fighters Local 176, I remain humbled bythe experience and truly honored to serve as the IAFF District 11Vice President. Thank you!

LARRY OSBORNE12TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

As I begin this report, I remember the manymembers and friends who we have lost tocareer-related illnesses, off-dutyaccidents and other causes, as well as familymembers who we have lost. Some, such as48-year-old Brother Iran D. Rivers, who was

found deceased in his bunk following a shift in HillsboroughCounty, FL, make me wonder at those politicians, chiefs andadministrators who continue to deny the effects of our professionon the health of our members.This is without even going into the details of the scores ofinjuries, many of them debilitating, disabling and evencareer-ending. In all of the states in our district, the battles tomaintain safe and adequate staffing, long-standing pensionbenefits, health insurance and even the basic right toorganize have become so extreme and severe that issues ofworkers’ compensation and presumptive disease and illnesses havehad to take something of a back seat.Since my last Convention report, two losses in particular remainin my mind and heart, serving as reminders that we can findourselves needing the services and care of our own members andcommunities. On Aug. 9, 2013, Shane Anders, the son ofProfessional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of North CarolinaPresident David Anders, was killed in an automobile accidentwhile on his way to work. Shane was a gentle, spiritual man. In

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2007 he published a book titled “Poems of Praise and Worship,”selections from which were read at his memorial service. This gavesome insight into the fine young man that Shane was, and whathis passing meant to his family and friends. Anybody who hassuffered a deep loss of their own knows that David and KathyAnders are among the first and strongest friends to come to ouraid and assist in any way that they can. I know that Shane’s losscontinues to cause moments of deep pain for them, and I knowthat their faith and the continued prayers of friends are a comfortto them.On Feb. 2, 2014, while riding bicycles with his wife, High Point,North Carolina Local 673 President Todd Martinez was struckand killed by a hit-and-run driver, who was subsequently caught.His loss as a friend was felt by the many people, including formerco-workers who traveled from as far away as California topersonally express their respects. His loss as a union officer andleader is immeasurable. He was persistent in his efforts on behalfof High Point fire fighters, and I am sure that the effect of thoseefforts spread far outside of High Point. His Chief expressed to mehis respect for Todd and for his effectiveness in pursuing issues.Todd was among the very best of our local leaders with regard tousing IAFF resources, technical services, research andinformation, as well as other sources such as the NFPA, to makehis points professionally and capably. He was among the very firstto see the importance of the NIST studies, and he quickly beganto use them. During my term of office, I had seen Todd addresshis members’ exposure to Haz-Mat, station conditions andhazards as well as staffing. Nearly two months before his passing,he was working diligently on compliance issues regarding turnoutgear, once again using the best information for the best effect.Many of his own experienced leadership team expressed theirconcerns as to how they could ever replace Todd. It certainly won’tbe easy for a long time.Reading over the past several convention reports for our district,I fear that they begin to sound like the old broken recordsthat play the same thing over and over. For many of us in ourdistrict, the signs of economic recovery seem pretty clear, exceptwhen it comes to public employees, including fire fighters. Theattacks on defined-benefit pensions continue, even if the pensionis well-funded and/or already below average in benefits. Itis clearer than ever that we are dealing with philosophy far morethan issues of money. Over the past few years though, it hasbecome easier to see who our adversaries are and howwell-funded they are. Groups like ALEC work with the League ofCities and League of Municipalities to push forth “cookie cutter”legislation in many states, most of which are contrary to our bestinterests and are often even contrary to the operational integrityand effectiveness of our departments. The Koch brothers appearto fund large parts of such efforts as well, while The Pew ResearchCenter and the John and Laura Arnold Foundationdistribute questionable studies attacking many aspects of publicemployment. In one form or another, their efforts havecreated difficulties for our members throughout our district andmost of the IAFF. The bit of good news, though, is that theseindividuals and groups are being called out into the light oftransparency by journalists, politicians and even civic leaders whosee the dangers in such a limited group having so much controland influence over government.I will not belabor the point, but many of us have increasinglyspeculated as to how much longer so many of our members can

take social and political positions which are so adverse to theirown well-being, and the concerns which they themselves oftenexpressed to us. General President Schaitberger often points outthat “elections have consequences,” and that “elections matter.” Ofcourse, he is correct. Anybody who has found themselves on thewrong side of a court decision, as we often do in our district,begins to ask themselves, “How did that judge get on thebench? Who appointed him/her? Who will appoint the nextjudges, be they federal or state?” Politicians and political partiesrun on platforms and issues, and they are there for everybody andanybody to see, if they will.Nowhere in our district have the courts come into our efforts formore time than in North Carolina. In addition to their legislativeagenda, PFFPNC President David Anders has worked to keep theIAFF involved in fighting for the basic rights of unionorganization and activities of his members. At this time, we haveseveral guardian cases in process which, due to their active status,I will defer discussion of them to any extent. Suffice it to say thatin all of the cases, it was unilateral, unreasonable actions of cities,counties, and chiefs, usually in response to the reasonable andlegal activities of our leaders and members. The PFFPNC has acadre of young and aggressive leaders on their ExecutiveBoard who have expressed a desire to be more aggressive inorganizing new locals, especially those in which we eventuallystand to make substantial membership and activity gains.Salisbury is one of the most recent and worthy examples.However, as is so often the case in organizing new locals in NorthCarolina, the almost immediate reaction is to dismiss or disciplinethe new local leaders. Such was the case in Salisbury. PFFPNC andIAFF legal counsel are working on correcting that situation. NorthCarolina does have a number of locals, though, such as Charlotte,Raleigh, Asheville, High Point and Greensboro, where theireffective and capable use of professionalism and political andcommunity involvement has enabled them to achieve somenotable successes to varying extents. Donald Ragavage is one ofseveral former local presidents returning to office has been inWilmington, and he reports increasing success on staffing andstation issues. Similar to the late Todd Martinez mentioned above,Donald has long made good use of IAFF resources and research.South Carolina remains perhaps the most anti-union state, notjust politically but socio-culturally too. The governor has almostdictatorially declared the state to be “anti-union.” It is virtually“union-hostile” by official edict. South Carolina Professional FireFighters President Mike Parrotta has long been on the front linesof the fight for organized labor in South Carolina. He andSecretary-Treasurer Leroy Marcotte have been active for yearswith the South Carolina AFL-CIO, with all of them maintaining agood labor presence in the state. They have used every possiblealliance and relationship in their tough situation, including a veryactive and effective involvement with their Joint Council. Oneaspect of South Carolina labor law on which President Parrottahas unfortunately had to become something of an expert is SouthCarolina’s “at will” employment law, which was re-codified andstrengthened in 2008. I have heard of other “at will” laws — oftenmore accurately labeled “right to work” laws — but none asextreme as South Carolina’s. Some of the young SCPFF leadershiphas stepped up with Mike to track and remain involvedin legislative efforts and a presence at the Capitol inColumbia. Once again, though, there are successes and lessons. InFlorence, a very Southern and very typical big city in South

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Carolina, the political action and efforts — particularly those byLocal President Joe Vanadia — have enabled that local tomaintain a presence with their chief and with city officials. InCharleston, former Local 61 President Bill Haigler returned tooffice and now reports that relationships with the chief staff andthe mayor are improving. Columbia also manages to maintain arespectable presence in the city and has often been effective onstaffing and other issues, representing members as muchas possible.Professional Fire Fighters of Georgia (PFFGA) President JimDaws has been aggressively organizing new locals. In particular, hehas been working to bring former locals, several of which arequite large, back into the IAFF. Many of them were often lost, aswithin the two Carolinas, by the absence of dues check-off. Mostof us know that when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinatedin Memphis, TN, he had been fighting for dues check-off for theunionized sanitation workers. It amazes me that after all theseyears, any southern state — especially Georgia — still relies on theanti-union tactic of denying dues-check off to those who want it.Georgia has a permissible collective bargaining law, and thoughSavannah has the only real contract, Jim and Atlanta Local 134have long represented the majority of Atlanta fire fighters at CityHall, with Jim being a genuine veteran of one of the toughestpension battles in the district. The PFFGA Convention in Aprilwas well attended and unique. They took some time to get back intouch with their history, with Ed Bayley receiving a lifetimeachievement award for his years of service and for maintainingand presenting a fine history of the PFFGA. This PFFGAConvention was particularly memorable, because GeorgiaGovernor Nathan Deal (R) accepted an invitation to attend.Senator Jason Carter (D), grandson of former President JimmyCarter and Deal’s gubernatorial opponent in the upcomingelection, also attended, as well as Senator CurtThopmson. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to saythat most members present were clearly able to discern the veryreal differences in each person’s political philosophies. At notime was this more evident than when a delegate asked GovernorDeal about the prospects for full, mandatory collectivebargaining. Governor Deal responded that the fact that Georgia isa Right to Work state makes that difficult. It was quite clear thatthe Governor did not have a real idea of the effect or lack thereofof Right to Work on collective bargaining rights. He was equallyas uninspiring when responding to questions regardingpresumptive heart and lung protections for fire fighters.Last year, IAFF Legal Counsel Baldwin Robertson made apassing remark to me that it appeared that Florida and some ofthe other collective bargaining states were quickly “falling” to thelevel of labor relations of some of the non-collective bargainingstates. The strongest deterrent to that, in addition to a largenumber of old, experienced locals, has been the FloridaProfessional Fire Fighters under the capable leadership ofPresident Jim Tolley. Once again, the leadership of the Floridalegislature mounted an attack on both the Florida RetirementSystem (FRS) and the municipal pensions, called “Chapter Plans.”It was clear that they were very serious in these attacks. Onceagain, though, the FPF maintained their relationship with adistinguished group of Republican senators led by Senator JackLatvalla, who essentially protected much of the pension plansalong with Democrats in the legislature. Nonetheless, as with thestates mentioned above, much work will remain over the next

years, to restore workers’ compensation and presumptive laws.The FPF Executive Board as well as leaders and members fromlocals throughout the state responded to Tallahassee whenever the“all hands” was called. Among those consistently on the front linewas the “old lion” Gilbert Marsh, long-time Secretary-Treasurer ofthe FPF. “Wise men still seek his counsel.” Last year, Miami Local587 President Robert Suarez resigned as FPF Vice President due tofamily necessities. Robert is a most capable and effective leader,and all who know him have considerable respect forhim. Fortunately, Rocco Salvatori from Suncoast Local 2546 waselected to replace Robert. Rocco brings an agile, intellectual andenergetic approach to the office, as well as a literate approach tohow we do business. Even with all of the other wonderful locals inFlorida, I cannot imagine successfully surviving the last threelegislative sessions without the very effective FPF.Regarding the attack on pensions, I must ask for a point ofpersonal privilege. I would invite you to go towww.jacksonville.com, which is website for the FloridaTimes-Union. Go to their search site on the top right of thepage and enter “police and fire pension,” or any words to thateffect. Get in a comfortable chair, put on your good glasses, andget set for some long reading. If you want to know what groundzero in the pension fight looks like, as with Miami, andHollywood, that is it. Local 122 President Randy Wyse and MarkTreglio have gone head-to-head with the city on the pensionbattle, including a lawsuit filed by Randy about one of six pendinglawsuits. The most egregious are the personal attacks which youmight note regarding John J. Keane. John is a former vicepresident and business agent for Local 122 and the District VicePresident-Emeritus of the FPF. I have seen only a few other timeswhen the media have gone after one man in such a personal way.As they often have, Jacksonville’s fire fighters anxiously await thecoming elections with a rapidly expanding PAC fund and acapable sign shop.In closing, I again salute 12th District Vice Presidents-EmeritusCharlie Hall and Dominick Barbera, and thank them for theiryears of advice, knowledge and experience which they shared.Thanks as well to DFSRs Walt Dix and Manly Bolin for theirconsistently fine, capable work and for their friendship. Thanks toPEP instructors Will Newton, Gary Rainey, John Klinefelter andDavid Coker. While you serve under the direction of the GeneralPresident and senior IAFF staff, you represent our district well.As many of you know, PEP Instructor and ServiceRepresentative Mark Treglio has moved up to IAFF headquartersas the Director of Strategic Communications and Media. Markwas exceptional as the Vice President and Media and PublicRelations Director of Local 122, and a similar position with theFPF. He is already demonstrating those abilities at a level morecommensurate with his talents. We are proud of our friend, butwe miss him at home.On behalf of the entire 12th District, we extend our appreciationto General President Harold Schaitberger and GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Tom Miller, and to their staffs for theirunfailing support and assistance. As I said two years ago, they havebeen successfully leading us through the greatest challenges sincethe Great Depression and World War II. We have been doing ourwork in historic times, and they have been up to the task.Thank you all for the privilege of representing the IAFF 12thDistrict and serving in your good name.

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FRED LEBLANC13TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the provisions of ArticleV1, Section 3, of the InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters Constitution andBy-Laws, I respectfully submit this report ofmy activity as the 13th District Vice Presidentto General President Harold Schaitberger,

General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas H. Miller, the IAFFExecutive Board and all officers and delegates in attendance at the52nd Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.This report contains a summary of my activities from August2012 through to April 2014. I have attended all Executive Boardmeetings and carried out all assignments given me by GeneralPresident Schaitberger.I was sworn in at the conclusion of the 51st IAFF Convention onJuly 26, 2012. I attended an orientation session at the IAFF officein Washington the following month and assumed my duties asIAFF District Vice President. I want to acknowledge BrotherBruce Carpenter, who held this position for the previous 14 years.Brother Carpenter was recognized at the 51st Convention bybeing granted District Vice President-Emeritus status. Bruceoffered his assistance to me and in the early days, I utilized Bruce’sexperience to help guide me through some of the issues.During this reporting period, I have also been appointed by theGeneral President to serve on the following committees: CanadianAffairs (Chair), Budget and Finance, Emergency Medical Services,Emergency Disputes Fund, Communications/Media and PublicAffairs (Vice Chair), Government and Political Affairs, GrantsAdministration and HazMat/WMD Training, and Ad HocResolutions (Vice Chair). As well I serve as one of the IAFF DVPson the Joint Task Force on Servicing with representatives from theFederation of State Provincial Professional Fire Fighters.I have had the opportunity to travel in each province within myDistrict, which includes Manitoba and Ontario, working insupport of the 88 affiliates that make up the 13th District onnumerous occasions.I have also successfully organized three new locals under theIAFF within our District. The Locals of East Gwillimbury (Local4985) and Blue Mountains (Local 4986) were chartered onJanuary 13, 2014 and Clarence-Rockland (Local 4987) waschartered on March 3, 2014.I have responded to a wide variety of requests for assistance andservicing. Depending upon the request, the local received thenecessary guidance and/or on-site servicing from me directly or arepresentative of the IAFF through our DFSR, ServiceRepresentatives, Committee members, and staff at both ourCanadian and Washington offices. In addition to facilitating theabove noted services, I have attended numerous educationalseminars and conferences sponsored by the Ontario ProfessionalFire Fighters Association, where I have always been afforded theopportunity to address the delegates, as well as appoint otherrepresentatives to make presentations regarding IAFF programsand initiatives. I have attended various hearings for Locals inManitoba and will address their provincial biennial Conventionon May 27 and 28, 2014. Along with attending these events, Ihave attended the IAFF ALTS/Human Relations conferences, theRedmond/EMS Symposium, Canadian Legislative Conference,Canadian Policy Conference, and Provincial Presidents meetings.

This term has witnessed a challenging time for all of our localswith an exuberant focus put on our wages, benefits, pensions, andhours of work (24-hour shift). The employers have constructedan organized effort to paint our members as elitists within theworking class who are attempting to create a disconnect betweenthe public we serve and us as professional fire fighters. For many,this is the first time in their career they have felt such publicscrutiny and political scorn.Yet despite the best efforts of some, our affiliates for the mostpart have held their ground. We have experienced some setbacksat the municipal council level, but to date, the relationships withthe current provincial governments in both provincesremain strong.Government officials are not the only ones launching into ourprofession. With the exception of a few areas, paramedics are in aseparate union and view the fire service as a threat. On this issuethey work in concert with their respective Chiefs and make aformidable force when dealing with the fire service’s role in EMSresponses. Our Fire Chiefs have not been a strong voice in thisregard and as a result, we are witnessing the reduction of the fireservice’s involvement in EMS across the District. At the IAFF’s2013 Canadian Policy Conference the delegates made a strongeffort to support the role of the fire service in EMS delivery. As aresult, the Provincial Presidents, Canadian IAFF DVPs and IAFFCanadian staff – supported by the IAFF’s EMS division – haveembarked on an effort to establish a lobby campaign whereneeded, both provincially and locally, complete with legislativelanguage and public relations materials. Our Winnipeg Local 867has for many years created a fire/medic model that appears to be alogical fit for our services in this District, with the exception ofthe areas who currently provide both services, and has proven toprovide great service to the public. Despite their success, andhaving it recognized by their provincial government, theparamedics are continually attacking this system. The local hasconducted an aggressive and effective campaign to inform thepublic about their services as fire/medics with the assistance of theIAFF.More specifically, here is a brief description to the issues in therespective provinces.

MANITOBA

We are experiencing mixed results across this area of theDistrict. Our largest local in the province, Winnipeg, continues tosuccessfully negotiate collective agreements with annual 3%increases and they have addressed threats to brown-out vehiclesdue to overtime and continue to be a glowing example of how thefire service can play a very effective role within the delivery ofEMS.Elsewhere in the province, it becomes more challenging, withservice reductions regarding EMS responses including MVCsdespite the advocacy of the paramedics to keep fire’s involvement.Some of our smaller Locals here are facing ongoing attacksthrough both grievance and interest arbitrations which is puttingincredible financial strain on our locals.Notwithstanding, these locals remain defiant and their solidarityis strengthening during these difficult times.This fall, we will have municipal elections in which we hope tostem this tide of anti-professional fire fighter attitudes at themunicipal council level.

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ONTARIO

Conversely, in this province our largest local, Toronto,experienced its biggest setback in memory. Council cut fourtrucks and 84 operation positions in this year’s budget. Despite avaliant fighting back effort supported by the IAFF, counciloverwhelming support these cuts. These followed previousreductions in their EMS responses.In an all too familiar tale, locals were reporting threats of cutsfrom reduction in EMS responses to staff, typically throughattrition. I joined Ontario PFFA President Mark McKinnon on afew tours of the province, which is home to 83 of our 88 locals.We heard where municipal council after council was movingforward with EMS response reductions, to staffing reductions, toall-out elimination and moving to a volunteer response.This common theme is taken from the municipalities’ provincialorganization known as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.Their efforts are very coordinated by repeating the same messagethat the cost of the fire service is unsustainable, mainly due to ourwages and benefits that are being awarded under an arbitrationsystem they claim is broken. The facts dispute their claims, but theyare persistent with the message, now saying any increases from anyarbitration award will result in service cuts. The most recent casesare in Woodstock, where they reduced both EMS response and staffand in Windsor, where an ongoing battle between the local and themayor ensues as the mayor is attempting to reduce staff byeliminating a truck from service and redeploying others.Despite the municipalities’ accusations that the arbitrationsystem is flawed, they are forcing the overwhelming majority ofour Locals to arbitration in an effort to continue to point to it andits results as a broken system that needs a political fix.The IAFF is being widely sought out for its services to assist inthese various fighting back campaigns that are no doubt going tocontinue in the foreseeable future. The provincial affiliate tookthe lead in the creation of a joint fighting back document with theIAFF. It is a great assessment tool that will guide the local toidentify their real threat and allow the IAFF and provincial tobetter understand what is required from a service perspective.Unlike Manitoba, which currently enjoys a friendly majorityprovincial government, in Ontario, we are dealing with a fragileminority government which makes lobbying more a game ofkeeping what you have. Despite this reality, the Ontario PFFA ison the cusp of expanding its presumptive coverage to include sixmore cancers (lung, testicular, breast, multiple-myeloma, prostate,and skin).The current opposition party in Ontario is acting very much likea Tea Party and will follow the lead of many state legislatures inregressive labor laws and attacks on public sector wages, pensionsand benefits. A provincial election is expected to be called by theend of May and by the time we reach Convention, we may bedealing with an entirely new level of political attacks.Another issue that appears to be moving forward under theguise of an economic stimulus is six-story wood construction.Currently a matter on the west coast and nationally, it is alsomoving forward in Ontario where we will see larger buildingsmade from wood, creating potentially very large hazards withinour communities.A few years ago we watched from the comfort of our livingrooms what was happening to labor, in particular the publicsector across the U.S. Now it appears as though unless we do

everything we can, we will experience a similar political reality. Ihope our members have taken heed to the lessons learned fromour brothers and sisters to the south. As a comfort, I believe theIAFF is more prepared than ever to respond to these situations ata provincial or local level.In closing, I would like to thank all of the affiliates for thesupport during my initial two years on the Executive Board.Although my learning curve with the IAFF combined with myvision loss has been challenging, it is truly an honour to serve asyour Vice President. I would like to thank the staff in Ottawa andWashington for their help, assistance and amazing workethic. Finally, I would like to thank General PresidentSchaitberger and General Secretary-Treasurer Miller for theirleadership and ongoing support of our District.I wish all the delegates a productive convention and thank thehost, Local 48 Cincinnati, for their hospitality at the 52nd IAFFConvention.

DANNY TODD14TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

Welcome from the 14th District to thedelegates and guests assembled for the 2014IAFF Convention. This report is submitted inaccordance with the IAFF Constitution &By-Laws and includes activities throughMarch 2014.

In representing the 14th District (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana,Mississippi, Tennessee) I have attended all Executive Boardmeetings, Legislative Conferences, Redmond/EMS Symposiums,Human Relations Conferences, Fallen Fire Fighter Memorialservices and Affiliate Leadership Training Summits since the lastConvention.It is an honor to represent this District and the entire IAFFmembership on the IAFF Executive Board serving on thefollowing committees: Budget & Finance, Canadian Affairs,Human Relations, Governmental & Political Affairs, Policy &Operational Procedures and a board member of IAFF FinancialCorporation.I have been assisted in servicing the affiliates by the 14th DistrictField Services Representatives Thomas Malone and Pete Reagan.Brothers Malone and Reagan have been involved in trainingseminars as well as organizing and assisting the locals withproblems. They have also served as grant reviewers for the FIREAct and SAFER grants. They continue to provide a valuableservice to the District and the IAFF. Thanks to them for continuedservice and dedication to our members.The 14th District continues to add new locals, and as of April 1,2014, had 16,187 members in 183 locals. Every state in the Districtis Right to Work, and with the anti-union attitude of many of thepolitical leaders at the state and local level, organizing andmaintaining locals becomes more difficult.Thanks to General President Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Miller and the IAFF staff for their continuedsupport as we continue to assist affiliate leadership in their manybattles. The staff continues to provide a very valuable and timelyresponse to requests for service and information. On behalf of the14th District, I want to thank all of you for the service you provide.We have used the IAFF Guardian Policy in a number of cases,

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including a recent settlement in the case of St. Tammany FireDistrict 12 President Jamie Truett, who was fired twice anddemoted over a four-year period. We have another case pendingin St. Landry Parish. There is also a case still active concerning anAlabama law covering deduction for union dues. In late 2010 thelegislature of Alabama changed the payroll deduction law byputting restrictions on locals involving political activity if a localhad payroll deductions. This resulted in a federal lawsuit and thefederal district judge granted our request for a temporaryinjunction. The state appealed to the 11th Circuit Court ofAppeals and they narrowed the injunction and submitted twoquestions to the Alabama Supreme Court, one defining “politicalactivity” as it was written in the law. The Alabama Supreme Courtagreed with our position that the definition used in the law wasoverly broad. The Federal Court of Appeals, to our surprise, ruledagainst us and now the case is pending a review by the full panelof judges in the 11th District Court of Appeals.This anti-union legislation was introduced in Tennessee andsome other states outside the District. Anti-union legislators alsointroduced other legislation in states to limit the ability of publicemployee unions to make political contributions, limit payrolldeductions and limit informational picketing.Pension reform has also been an issue in states and localjurisdictions. Currently, the city of Memphis is attempting tochange from a defined benefit system to a defined contributionsystem with no provisions for line-of-duty disability or death.The IAFF pension department has been a valuable resource forour locals and states involved in these pension battles. The NewOrleans pension system won a lawsuit seeking the legallymandated $17.5 million owed to the pension system, but has yetto receive the funds.Public safety and our members’ safety continues to becompromised by staffing cuts, companies placed out of serviceand rolling company brownouts. Our locals are using the IAFFGIS studies to show these cuts are affecting response times andcompromising the safety of the fire fighters. The IAFF PublicRelations Department has been a valuable resource in developingour message on these issues.It is not easy being a union member in the Fighting 14thDistrict, but our locals, state associations and members continueto fight back against the attacks on their benefits from electedleaders in both parties. I am proud to have the privilege torepresent the members of the District and all members of theIAFF. Stay safe and stand tall!

DAVID BURRY15TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the provisions of theConstitution and By-Laws of theInternational Association of Fire Fighters, Irespectively submit my report as 15thDistrict Vice President for the period ofSeptember 1, 2012 to April 15th, 2014.

During my term in office, I have attended all IAFF ExecutiveBoard meetings and have served on various Executive BoardCommittees at the request of the General President. I have alsoattended many other events which include, but are not limited tothe Canadian Legislative Conference, Canadian Policy

Conference, Redmond Symposium, Affiliate Leadership TrainingSummits, Human Relations Conference, Atlantic ProvincesProfessional Fire Fighters Association (APPFFA) Convention andLODD services honoring our fallen fire fighters. I have endeavored to provide the affiliate locals of the 15thdistrict with the representation, support and assistance that ourmembers deserve. This has been accomplished through Localvisits, telephone conversations and email correspondence.All requests from Locals and the APPFFA have been promptlyaddressed. Request for services have been addressed by myself, orDistrict Field Services Representative Larry Cook and DistrictServices Representative Paul Boyle, through the resources of theInternational and to the best of our abilities.My service to Locals throughout the District included assistancewith collective bargaining and attendance at collective bargainingsessions when requested and providing assistance andinformation to aid Locals who are dealing with pension planissues. I have also provided assistance and participated in bothinterest and grievance arbitrations. Further, I have providedinformation and direction with respect to fire fighter Wellnessand Fitness, Duty to Accommodate and Disability ManagementPrograms, as well as advice and opinions related to Localadministrative issues and concerns.Over the past two years, this District has experienced difficultiesin our attempt to maintain and to improve upon benefits for ourmembers. Not unlike our brothers and sisters throughout theentire IAFF, we have had to deal with threats to our pension plans,cutbacks, layoffs and downsizing. In essence, our members arebeing forced to do more with less. Our much deserved pensionplans are under attack as employers attempt to reorganize ourplans such that our members shoulder the greatest share of theunfunded liabilities. Many of our Local leaders find themselves in aposition of trying to preserve pension benefits and at the sametime justify their pension plans with the general public.Maintaining adequate numbers of fire fighters to safely provide fireand emergency services has also been a challenge. The constantinfringement upon our members’ wage and benefits and the fightto protect what we have accomplished over the years has beendifficult for many of our Local Leaders. I commend all of them fortheir hard work and dedication in fighting for, and assuring thatour members and their families get the benefits they deserve.Despite this, we have been able to secure wage increases throughcollective bargaining and interest arbitrations. We havemaintained, and in some cases improved, our benefits. We werealso able to hold the line on two tier benefits when those challengesarose.I would like to thank the staff of the Canadian Office for theircontinual hard work and dedication and their assistance to bothmyself and the District Locals. As a member of the IAFF CanadianAffairs committee, I have had the opportunity to work onimprovements to federal legislation and programs which affect ourfire fighters on a national level. I have also had the opportunity towork with the Canadian Provincial Presidents to proposeprograms and initiatives that will strengthen the fire service andprotect our hard-earned benefits. Two of these initiatives focus onincrease fire services role in EMS delivery and defending againstattacks on our pension plans.My term in office has been both rewarding and encouraging, andit could not have been done without the hard work, dedication andthe cooperation of the many fire fighters throughout the District. I

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especially would like to thank the Local union officers, Local unionleadership and the Executive Board of the APPFFA for theircontinued support and cooperation.Thank you to General President Harold Schaitberger, GeneralSecretary Treasurer Tom Miller and the excellent staff of the IAFFfor their leadership, assistance and support over the past two years.Many important resolutions will be presented to the delegates atthis convention. I look forward to the interaction and the debatethat comes with planning for our future. I trust that you will befully engaged in providing this direction. I thank you for affording me the opportunity to represent you asyour District Vice President. Enjoy this Convention experienceand best wishes to you and your families.

JAMES B. JOHNSON16TH DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

In accordance with the provisions of ArticleVI, Section 3 of the International Associationof Fire Fighters’ Constitution and By-Laws, Irespectfully submit this report to themembership.As the Vice President of the 16th District, I

have attended Executive Board meetings, Conferences, and otherIAFF functions as required. I am presently serving on thefollowing IAFF Executive Board Committees: Chairman of theInformation and Technology Committee and as a member of theLegal Services, Government and Political Affairs, Education andTraining, Policy and Operations and Communications, Media andPublic Affairs Committees. I also serve as the Chairman of theIAFF Standing Committee on Wildland Fire Fighting.I have focused on improving our communication, educating ourleadership, lobbying for the IAFF’s legislative agenda andproviding advice and technical assistance to our federal affiliates.The last two years have presented many challenges for the 16thDistrict. Nonetheless, we have accepted the challenges and as ateam we continue to move the district in a positive direction withpurpose and conviction.Our District Field Service Representatives and our ServiceRepresentatives within the District will continue to provideon-site assistance and training for our local affiliate leaders, as wecontinue to move toward the goal of empowering leaders with thetools they need to represent their members. At the 2014 AffiliateLeadership Training Summit, we conducted an all-day trainingsession on federal sector bargaining and labor relations, and thefeedback from this training from those that attended wasexcellent.The IAFF and the District continue work on the Hill withcongressional staff. Obviously, there continue to be a number ofattacks on federal employees coming out of Congress. There areefforts to reduce or eliminate official time used forrepresentational purposes and continuing efforts to increaseretirement contributions, just to name a few. The IAFF is activelyinvolved in opposing these attacks that not only impact all federalemployees, but IAFF federal members directly. Concurrently, wewill continue to educate Congress on the importance of passingthe federal presumptive issue and federal trade time equality.The District also continues to participate in several federalemployees’ forums, such as the Federal Postal Coalition, the

United Defense Workers Coalition and the Federal WorkersAlliance providing valuable input regarding federal employeeissues and policy.In 2013, as federal fire fighters were threatened with potentialstaffing reductions due to furloughs, information was provided tothe locals regarding staffing grievances for locals that needed totake action. The District remains prepared to assist witharbitration matters related to these grievances. Although manyfederal agencies want to assume risk and reduce safe practices onthe backs of our members, this District will remain steadfast inour position of maintaining safe staffing and response criteria.While it is obvious that our District is constantly confrontedwith perilous attacks from many political fronts, it is clear that theIAFF and the 16th District I proudly represent remain ready andwilling to protect the interests of the federal fire fighters. Sincethe last convention, we have successfully defeated severalscurrilous attempts to repeal the contracting prohibition thatprotects the jobs of federal fire fighters working for theDepartment of Defense and we will continue to do all we can tocontinue to protect the jobs of IAFF members. Additionally, in thelast two years, the District has been involved in several successfularbitrations assisting locals with their issues. Severalprecedence-setting issues were funded through the IAFF’sGuardian Policy, and those cases have resulted in favorabledecisions regarding staffing and FLSA policy coverage for issuesregarding membership pay that resulted in direct monetarybenefits to some of our affected members.Also, through my office, the District has presented many issuesbefore the Federal Labor Relations Authority such as NegotiabilityAppeals, Unit Clarification Petitions and issues before the FederalService Impasse Panel. In several Unit Clarification issues wewere successful in including previously excluded employees intothe IAFF’s bargaining units.Overall, the past two years have brought many changes andproduced successes and setbacks. Having served for many yearson the job as a federal fire fighter, I know that every tangiblebenefit or “win” received is the result of a hard-fought battle.Because of the District members’ support, the IAFF and the 16thDistrict have become a respected voice in the federal employmentarena. Much of the credit for this and other successes we haveachieved should also be given to the many leaders in the Districtthat eagerly sacrifice their time and effort for the members oftheir locals and the entire District. In addition, the support wehave received from General President Schaitberger and GeneralSecretary-Treasurer Miller and the IAFF staff has beentremendous.It has been an honor for me to be your representative and toserve on the Executive Board of this great International as your16th District Vice President. The experience is rewarding andeducational and I look forward to continuing to serve the District.

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