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Local 1014 Bargaining Update
This week, Vice Presidents Tony Carcioppolo and Kurt Kobler, along with the rest of your Local 1014 bargaining team, met with the County to continue negotiations.
Unfortunately, the CEO came to the table this week ill-prepared to bargain with accurate numbers and reliable cost-outs of both the County’s proposals and Local 1014’s proposals. Once again, it became clear that some of the County’s proposals are being viewed through a very narrow lens without fully understanding the operational realities of the Fire Department or the potential unintended consequences they could create.
We will, however, give credit where credit is due. We want to recognize the Fire District and Chief Deputy Jon O’Brien, Deputy Chief Chapman, and Deputy Chief Julia Kim for helping explain to the CEO that labor was, in fact, correct on several of the issues we had raised. Their involvement helped bring some important facts and realities to the discussion.
This week had its highs and lows. Several of our other proposal items gained traction and remain under evaluation by the County. These include some of the big-ticket items we have been fighting for. Items that we believe are both just and necessary to achieve public safety parity, address the needs of Plan C employees, and provide meaningful financial relief to our members during an extremely difficult economy.
We remain hopeful that next week will bring significant progress as we continue to set the record straight on several of the issues before us.
A Reminder About Bargaining Ground Rules
We also want to remind everyone that Local 1014 and the County signed ground rules governing negotiations. Those ground rules place restrictions on what can be publicly discussed or distributed regarding what is occurring at the bargaining table. Violating those rules could potentially result in unfair labor practice charges.
We know there are rumors circulating, so we want to address one specifically. The Sheriff's Department has NOT settled its contract 100%.
There has been an agreement involving the managers who are the equivalent of Battalion Chiefs. PPOA, the Professional Peace Officers Association, represents those employees. That is not the same as the rank-and-file Sheriff's employees.
ALADS, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, is the union representing the bulk of the Sheriff's Department's rank-and-file employees, much like Local 1014 represents the bulk of our Department. ALADS is still bargaining.
Local 1014 remains at the table fighting alongside our brothers and sisters in ALADS and the lifeguards for the fairest contracts possible. Contracts that recognize the value of our members, the sacrifices they make, and the risks they take every day to protect the public.
We appreciate everyone's patience as this process continues. We are not going to be the ones who quit. We will continue doing everything we can to secure the very best contract possible for every member of Local 1014.
In the meantime, keep your heads up and continue providing the world-class service that Los Angeles County Fire is known for. We are not alone in this fight for fair and equal pay. We believe next week will bring more positive news.
In addition to bargaining, your Union Board will be scheduling additional meetings with the Board of Supervisors. Staffing and recalls will be among the issues we continue to raise with the Board. We will continue to keep you informed as we are able to do so within the rules governing our negotiations.
Local 1014 is in this fight for you and we're not walking away. |
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Important: Check Your Personal Automobile Insurance After an On-Duty Vehicle Collision
It has been brought to our attention that some members involved in on-duty collisions are experiencing impacts to their personal vehicle insurance coverage.
A vehicle collision that occurs while you are performing your duties should not be treated the same as an off-duty, personal vehicle accident when it comes to your personal automobile insurance. California law provides important protections for firefighters involved in qualifying on-duty accidents while operating authorized emergency vehicles.
What happens after an accident?
The collision report created by the responding law enforcement agency should clearly identify the incident as an “On-Duty Emergency Vehicle” accident. That designation is important.
If the report lacks the proper notation, the collision may appear on your DMV driving record without indicating that it was an on-duty emergency vehicle accident. As a result, your personal automobile insurance company may treat it as a personal vehicle accident, which could affect your driving record and potentially increase your insurance rates.
California Law Provides Insurance Protections
California Insurance Code § 488.5 prohibits insurers from increasing premiums on certain private automobile insurance policies for qualifying firefighters and other covered employees when an accident occurs while on duty operating an authorized emergency vehicle.
Additionally, California Insurance Code § 669.5 provides protections against nonrenewal of a private automobile insurance policy simply because a qualifying firefighter was involved in an accident while operating an emergency vehicle during the performance of their duties.
The key is making sure the accident is properly identified as an on-duty emergency vehicle collision.
What should you do?
- Immediately notify your chain of command and follow all department vehicle collision reporting procedures.
- Make sure the investigating law enforcement agency is aware that you were operating an emergency vehicle in the performance of your duties.
- Ask for a copy of the collision report when it becomes available.
- Review the report and verify that it identifies the collision as an “On-Duty Emergency Vehicle” incident.
- Check your DMV driving record to make sure the accident is accurately reflected and properly identified.
- If necessary, the investigating law enforcement agency may need to issue a corrected collision report to CHP or the DMV, identifying the accident as an on-duty emergency vehicle collision.
Do not assume that because the accident happened while you were working, it was automatically reported correctly.
Protect yourself. Check your record.
If you were involved in an on-duty vehicle accident and are not sure whether it was reported correctly, contact Local 1014 before contacting your personal insurance company or trying to resolve the matter yourself.
Our goal is to ensure members receive all protections available under California law and that an on-duty accident, occurring while you are protecting the public, does not unnecessarily affect your personal driving record or automobile insurance.
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SUICIDE PREVENTION AND AWARENESS SAFETY STAND DOWN
We are right around the corner from a very important month, when we take time to drill, discuss, create awareness, and remind ourselves that suicide takes more firefighter lives than fire on the fireground.
Our amazingly rich and rewarding profession has many hazards, including responding to and from incidents, trauma on the fireground, cancer, heart issues, and more. When we face hazards and dangers on the job, we train like we fight to reduce the impact of these threats on our well-being and even our lives.
This next month, each week we will have five short, meaningful, and impactful subjects to discuss around this important issue affecting our brothers and sisters.
Week 1 – Building a Healthy Lifestyle: We will have our very own Dr. Steve covering topics like sleep, sleep patterns, and more. Please get your crews around the kitchen table, make some really good coffee, and lean into each other and lean on each other to be better at what we do to maintain work-life balance. Support each other through physical fitness program time, sports, breaking bread together, and more.
Week 2 – Building a Strong Support Network
Week 3 – Knowing the Signs
Week 4 – See Something, Say Something, Do Something
Week 5 – Clinical Resources
Each week will include videos, graphics, and written materials to use in your discussions and drills during the Safety Stand Down. The goal is prevention and working to better understand this difficult topic while giving ourselves tools to deal with the impacts of the job that can drive depression, anxiety, and suicide.
We will also cover the important topic of knowing what to do if you recognize someone on the job displaying signs or triggers that give us concern. This area of work, in particular, has been difficult to tackle for firefighters from California to New York, and we must work to change our level of complacency when situations and issues arise at work. We must also ensure our managers and chiefs, who are in leadership roles with responsibilities to act, actually do something.
Resources for chiefs are critical as well because, like the rank and file, they have very little training in this difficult subject. We change that now with this five-week Safety Stand Down.
Watch for Department EAs and information about the Stand Down, and log on to healingourown.org to preview the training sections, resources, and materials available to make your individual and crew drills meaningful and impactful.
Make time for the work and make it a priority to engage your crews. If you are a company officer—a Captain—remember that you are on the front line and are one of the most impactful leaders on our job, right up there with “the senior firefighter.” You can make a difference.
We want to thank our Peer Support team members, Peer Captains, and our clinicians who worked hard to help put together this program, which will take place in firehouses up and down the state in September. |
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Museum President Ernie Ramirez needs our help!
We talk a lot about brotherhood, character, and taking care of each other. Today, we have an opportunity to put those words into action. Los Angeles County Fire Captain and LA County Fire Museum President Ernie Ramirez needs a kidney donor.
For those who know Ernie, you know the kind of man he is. He has spent much of his life helping others, as a firefighter, a leader, a man of faith, and as a Los Angeles County Fire Department Peer Support Lead, helping firefighters and their families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Now Ernie is the one who needs our help.
Finding a living kidney donor can be life-changing and life-saving. You don’t have to know Ernie personally to help. Ernie has been there for so many people when they needed someone. Now it’s our turn to be there for him.
Please take a moment to read about kidney donation at the link below.
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In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
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