IAFF 10TH DISTRICT REPORT | FRANK LIMA
IT TAKES A TEAM
Last summer I had the opportunity to attend and represent the IAFF at the U.S. Conference of Mayors during FIRE-OPS 101 where I met a Hawaii state lawmaker from Molokai. She was interested in the post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) presumptive law that had recently passed in New Mexico, which I had mentioned in my opening remarks. Her goal was to try to get the same protections for firefighters in the Aloha State.
Thanks to the great work of President Rice and your California Professional Firefighters, that Hawaii lawmaker now has an even stronger benchmark to work from: California SB 542, a firefighter presumption law for PTSI which was recently signed this October by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
As an active Los Angeles City firefighter who has worked on the frontlines for over 27 years, I know just how big this will be for our IAFF members in California. It is truly landmark firefighter presumptive legislation. As your IAFF 10th District Vice President, I can tell you that the impact of SB 542 will reach well beyond the State of California. Where California leads, the rest of the nation usually follows, and I predict many more states will follow that lead, as they have with cancer presumptions and many other advances for our firefighters.
The successes we’ve seen in state capitols throughout our region on the PTSI presumption are a great reminder of what state associations like CPF mean to our success. We talk about the “three-legged stool” in retirement. In the same way, your union’s effectiveness rests on three sturdy legs:
Your local union, which takes care of bargaining, representation and local politics;
CPF, which fights for the state laws and policies that determine much of what you do locally;
IAFF, which fights on behalf of the whole profession for federal legislation, national bargaining, legal representation, grants, health and safety, technical research, training and education, and many more policies that protect all of our 320,000 plus professional firefighters in the U.S. and Canada.
In California and New Mexico, it was the work of the state associations that made all the difference. They were the ones who made the connections, helped draft the legislation, walked the halls and badgered lawmakers – and governors – to help them see its importance. The IAFF was the aircraft carrier off the coast, helping the state associations be successful. Mostly in areas hardly seen but bringing in support and technical medical reports and empirical data to help the state lobbyist and state associations get the legislative support they need. Thus, making it a true team effort.
In the IAFF Team 10th District, the New Mexico Professional Fire Fighters Association (NMPFFA) made sure that the CPF had their legislation as a starting point, and the benefit of their experience. As the Hawaiian lawmaker starts down her path, she will have our brothers and sisters from the NMPFFA, CPF, and IAFF with the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association (HFFA) leading the charge.
One team.… one fight for you.
At the IAFF, the work goes on for our members. A focus of IAFF’s advocacy in Congress has been the Expanding Health Care Options for Early Retirees Act, legislation that allows firefighters and law enforcement to buy into Medicare beginning at age 50. As we see retiree health care benefits being targeted at the local level, this measure will help ensure that our brothers and sisters around the country have access to reliable, quality health care.
Early in the new year, the IAFF will convene the Affiliate Leadership Training Summit & Human Relations Conference. This important gathering provides a wealth of training opportunities for your leadership, ensuring they can forcefully and effectively represent your interests and your needs.
Finally, I had an opportunity to spend some time with a man who has stood tall for firefighters for more than four decades. Nobody has a better record on firefighter and union issues than former Vice President Joe Biden.
Whether it’s our federal legislation of the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB), which ensures death benefits for our fallen firefighters, in my humble opinion our holy grail for fallen firefighters; or SAFER grants, which kept fire stations open and rigs staffed during the Great Recession and continues to help local agencies; or the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), one of the most important workers rights measures ever enacted, Joe Biden has been there like no other national leader in our memory.
As your IAFF, our top priority is protecting you: your pay, your bargaining rights and your retirement security. We stand with those who have stood with us. Joe Biden has stood with us, and we stand with him.