Convention & Seminar Updates 

117th Annual Oklahoma State Firefighters Association Convention Report

June 24, 2011 - The delegation representing the Norman Fire Department returned from the 2011 OSFA Convention and have submitted this report for our membership to learn from and enjoy. (Read 2011 OSFA Convention Report...)

Archived Convention Reports

IAFF Condemns Uniontown Mayor for Plan to Lay Off Career Fire Fighters

August 26, 2010 - IAFF delegates meeting in San Diego unanimously passed an emergency resolution condemning Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Mayor Edward Fike for announcing his intent to eliminate the City’s entire career fire department.

Fike no doubt picked the wrong time to mess with union fire fighters. As it happened, members of Uniontown Local 955 were convening in San Diego this week with about 3,500 of their IAFF brothers and sisters to vote on critical resolutions and forge stronger union bonds.

The six remaining members of Uniontown, PA Local 955 woke up August 25 to a cold slap in the face. They received a letter from Fike notifying Local 955 that all career fire fighters would be laid off no later than January 1, 2011. The work that Local 955 members have done to protect the citizens of Uniontown would from then on be conducted by volunteers.

The letter was dated August 25, 2010, and sent to IAFF Local 955 President Mark Lovey. The letter read in part: "The City intends to form a volunteer fire department and assign all functions that your bargaining unit members now perform to the volunteer fire department sometime between 11:59:59 p.m. on the 31st day after you receive this letter and 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2011."

In the letter, Fike offered, in lieu of layoffs, to allow the remaining career fire fighters to continue to work at their jobs but reduce their pay to minimum wage. Once the City was able to find volunteer replacements for them, they would be laid off anyway.

Like a massive hornet’s nest, the IAFF moved quickly to respond. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger interrupted scheduled business on the final day of the 50th Convention to allow for the resolution condemning Fike to be passed.

The first order of business will be to send a letter of condemnation to Fike and other Uniontown City officials. But Schaitberger assured that the letter was merely a first step. "Just know that we are not just going to send a letter. We are going to bring money, marbles and chalk! Whatever it takes to win this fight, we will be in union!" said Schaitberger.

In a show of support for his Local 955 brothers, Kenneth Marks, a member of South Bend, IN Local 362 asked the IAFF to publicize Fike’s letter. "I know these guys think us union members are a bunch of thugs. Let’s send this mayor some e-mails to let him know the type of thugs we can be!" said Marks. To that, Schaitberger responded: "Brother I think I will need you by my side when I fly into Uniontown."

IAFF Delegates Vote to Boost Resources to Protect Pensions

August 25, 2010 - Fire fighters demonstrated loud and clear that they have had enough of sustained attacks by employers and media against their hard-earned pension benefits. The time has come to fight back.

IAFF delegates unanimously approved Resolution 24, which reallocated 12 cents from current funding and added 8 cents in new funding to provide much-needed resources to help the membership protect and preserve their pensions.

Public safety employee pensions have been under attack for years. But those attacks have picked up significant steam as governors and civic leaders have taken aim at public pensions in an effort to close widening budget gaps.

IAFF affiliates from coast to coast are fighting hard to protect their pensions. Some have managed to hold the line, while others have had to give ground in the form of higher contributions, later retirement or multi-tiered pension benefit structures.

Prior to the swift and unanimous approval of the resolution, several IAFF affiliate leaders rose to voice support for resources to protect public employee pensions. “When our members are under siege it is necessary that the IAFF be funded to be able to fight these attacks,” said IAFF 4th District Vice President Bill Taylor, noting that executive committee members deliberated for a long time on the matter before acknowledging that more funds were needed.

Mark Johnston, president of Vancouver, WA Local 452, echoed Taylor’s sentiments. “Make no mistake — our enemies want to destroy our pension plans. They want to steal from us, steal the wealth we have earned over the years from our sweat and our sacrifice. Our opponents are powerful, well-funded and highly organized.”

Resolution 24 will provide  funds to help protect pensions. The money will be used to hire staff, provide access to pension experts and create web-based pension-specific resources for affiliates. In addition, the money will help the IAFF establish a preferred provider list of actuaries and pension experts and create a database using pension data collected in the same way wage data is collected.

IAFF 12th District Vice President Larry Osborne noted that barely a decade ago even public officials who opposed unions never openly contemplated raiding public pensions. “Now for the first time, we have public officials talking about attacking the pensions of existing workers. This is the battle line that has been drawn and we must fight back now,” said Osborne.

New Video Illustrating Barrage of Negative Media Firefighters are Facing
 (Bill Glanz)

August 24, 2010 - We have produced a compelling new video that illustrates the barrage of negative media that fire fighters are facing. General President Schaitberger premiered the video this morning during the general session of the 50th IAFF Convention in San Diego.

The video is brief, but it accurately represents the prevailing tone of the talking heads who find it easy to blame fire fighters [and all public employees, for that matter] for the economic problems that towns and cities across North America have experienced since the recession began to skewer public budgets. The video has been posted on the website here. (Available Convention video's...)

Convention Video Speakers & Presentations (August 22 - 27, 2010)

Delegates Adopt Resolutions Totaling 69 Cents

August 24, 2010 - Delegates at the IAFF 50th Convention in San Diego adopted resolutions that will increase per capita by 69 cents per member per, including Resolution 1, which adds 33 cents to adjust the IAFF budget for inflation.

Resolution 36, which increases the allocation to the FIREPAC Education Account, adds 25 cents, while Resolution 24 adds eight cents in new per capita to allow the IAFF to build important pension-specific resources for affiliates in a time when pensions are under attack like never before.

Resolution 26, which funds updates to the IAFF Geographic Information Systems (GIS) capabilities and continues development of a new web-based GIS, adds two cents in per capita while Resolution 18, which establishes an IAFF Scholarship for the Joint Harvard Law School/University of Ottawa Executive Development Program for Canadian members, adds ½ cent.

Resolutions 10 and 14, which confer Emeritus status on retired General Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon and increase automobile mileage rates in Canada, respectively, were both adopted with a minimal cost, and the combined amount was used to round up the total per capita increase to 69 cents.

Per capita increases adopted by delegates in San Diego will take effect on September 1, 2010.

GP's State of the Union Address Gets a Rousing Response
(Bill Glanz)

August 23, 2010 - IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger today told delegates the IAFF will remain on the frontlines for the 298,000 fire fighters in the U.S. and Canada who continue to face pressure at home from public officials who are trying to decimate wages and pensions and using the recession as cover to attack first responders. “I want everyone who has tried to destroy what we’ve built for our members know that you may knock us down a time or two but you will never knock us out," the General President said in his State of the Union address today. "And if it’s a fight you want, by God it’s a fight you’re going to get!” (Listen to address...)

The General President clearly hit a chord with the estimated 2,200 delegates in San Diego for the IAFF 50th Convention when discussing the union’s success in obtaining SAFER funds.

He also received a standing ovation – one of many – when he closed his speech by urging IAFF members to stand together to fight hostile public officials. “I said it when I walked out here this morning. We are so much better, we are so much stronger when we stand together,” the General President said. “So stand with me to protect what we’ve built! Stand with me to build a brighter future! Let’s stand together!”

2067 Attends 2010 IAFF Convention

August 21, 2010 - IAFF Local 2067 President Butch Crawford as well as Secretary Treasurer Dennis Mitchell are on their way to the convention. The 50th IAFF Convention is scheduled for August 22-27, 2010, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. (Convention Updates...)