| Donate to FIREPAC |
|
|
|
Why I am Donating $500 to FirePAC
Wait, what the heck is FirePAC? Well, it is the IAFF's Political Action Committee. It distributes money to political candidates and causes that will benefit firefighters. This year money is being spent to combat the vicious attacks on pensions and public employee unions. I have donated each year since I got the job, but I have yet to reach the level of commitment that a few of our other members have shown for years. But this year is different, here's why.
1. I want the shiny pin. But damn it, they just made a $750 level and some stinking shirt.
2. Pensions are under attack. We have all seen the TV shows, radio programs, and news items telling us how our pensions are extravagant and unaffordable. There are a few pensions that are in trouble, only because politicians failed to make the required contributions. Our pension is 100% funded, not because of the generosity of the state, but rather the fact that our LEOFF2 Board has fought tooth and nail for contribution rate stability. Why do they hate defined benefit plans? They work just fine if you actually make the necessary contributions. First, the benevolent Titans of Industry want to break up the 2.7 trillion dollars of Public pension funds into tiny poorly managed individual accounts with high fees and no political or economic influence. Imagine you had planned to retire in 2008-2009. Poof! Suddenly 40% of your life savings is gone. Looks like you are working a few more years. And finally, WE DON'T PAY SOCIAL SECURITY! NOR DO WE GET IT! What are we supposed to do? Retire to the breadline and homeless shelter when we are to broken to fight fire any more?
3. Fire ACT Grants/Safer/UASI/Misc Grants. Our department gets a lot of money from grants. The most recent include the Apparatus Bay Ventilation Systems (fingers crossed), the 1.5 million SAFER grant to hire 8 firefighters, the driving simulator, the new boat, and many others from the past. This money will go away if we don't fight to keep it. Influencing politicians takes money, and that's why I am making the investment on the FirePAC side to keep these grants coming. They help us get equipment and training we wouldn't be able to afford otherwise.
4. Collective Bargaining is under attack. WISCONSIN! NUFF SAID! If you don't think it can happen here: Senate Bill 5347, a "Right to Work Bill" is chilling in the capital right now. It just needs an anti-union majority to get it rolling. As we have seen from the events in Wisconsin, it is not about the budget, it is about taking away the right to establish a contract with their Employer. I saw a great quote that summed it up well "United We Bargain, Divided We Beg".
5. The IAFF is an honest, democratic, and effective union. I am proud to be a member of a union that is putting up a reasoned fact and evidence based fight against the current union-busting campaign. I know my money is well spent on candidates and issues that matter to my profession. They don't choose candidates by party, rather they choose candidates that support unions, defined benefit pensions, and other issues important to firefighters.
I am not asking you to run out and join the Socialist Workers Party. I am asking you to consider your economic self interest, and the preservation of the hard won victories of the firefighters and labor leaders of the past. This job is safer because of the union, this job pays better because of the union, you get a lot of time with your family because of the union, your job is protected if you are injured because of the union, you can look forward to a comfortable retirement because of the union. These gains and more can be lost if we are apathetic. Reject this race to the bottom mentality. Put some salt in the game. DONATE some of your hard earned money to help educate the public and politicians on the truth of these issues. Download the donation form at http://www.iaff.org/politics/PDF/11Card12.pdf and give it to Melinda or Matt.
|
| Annual Physical Guidelines |
|
|
Brothers and Sisters,
I encourage everyone to get an annual physical. In my latest physical I carried a copy of the attached recommendations to my doctor and asked him to complete all the tests recommended by the IAFF/IAFC partnership. He happily complied with all but the bladder cancer test, which apparently cannot be done by the multicare lab. The tests were all paid normally under my insurance, remember its all in the coding so make sure your doctor is on board. Check out the recommendations in this document (Chapter 2) and speak with your doc about making your physical more thorough. We need to take this responsibility for our own health so we don't end up with department administered physicals. Good luck!
Brett Collett
Download:
 WFI.pdf
|
| Union Dues Explained |
|
|
|
I am going to try to explain a little about our union dues. I will base everything on the salary of a top step (Step 6) firefighter, with a monthly salary of $5203.39.
The total union dues (total deduction) from your check is $128.52. Where does all the money go? I will try to break it down for you.
Your actual union dues are 1.3% of your salary, which is $67.64. Along with that amount, you also pay building association dues that are 0.12% or $6.18, long term disability insurance that it $27.58, short term disability insurance that is $22.98, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance that is $4.14. Prior to my joining the union, they negotiated a 1% pay raise for LEOFF2 members to cover the added cost of the long and short term insurance. If you add all these amounts together they will add up to $128.52.
Out of your union dues, $67.64, the union is required to pay per capita to belong to the following organizations; International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) $9.95, Washington State Council of Firefighters (WSCFF) $13.03, Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) $0.85, and Pierce County Central Labor Council (PCCLC) $0.50. After paying per capita, the union is left with $43.32. With the amount that is left after paying per capita, the rest goes to pay for salaries, benefits, office expenses, contributions, and other expenses that are required to run the office and the local.
There are also member elected deductions that also come out of your dues. I elect to give money to the Fire Buffs, and that adds to the total amount of my union deduction. There also may be assessments, or when we sold bricks for the memorial, etc. that can also be added to your dues.
I hope this helps you to better understand where your dues are going. I am going to try and sit down with Bruce in the future to get a better understanding of what the day-to-day expenses are and hopefully be able to expand on this topic. I may possibly write a part 2.
I have added the Dues Breakdown document to the downloads page, which has all the different pay grades included for those members that are interested.
Dean
|
Page Last Updated: Apr 08, 2011 (19:02:00)
|
Social Security.doc