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Sisters and Brothers,
As we stated last week we are beginning bargaining for our 601/602 BU Firefighters series members. At the top of our proposal is Plan C enhancements to counter the PEPRA retirement reform. Bargaining for our wages, hours, and working conditions is at the core of our mission to protect our members families. This session will begin all bargaining for 2022. We will continue to update you as we work to get our members the pay and recognition they deserve.
STATE LEGISLATIVE VICTORIES
This week, we had great news from the Governor’s office as Governor Newsom signed all of our Firefighter sponsored bills into law. These bills area testament to our successful political action program both at the local and state level. Each year we have successes because we continue to engage and work with the people making the decision to ensure that our Fire Personnel are at the top of the list for legislative priorities. Political action is the power powerful tool we have to affect change for our members working conditions. See a list of the bills below.
AB 450 (Gonzalez) – Paramedic Disciplinary Review Board
Status: Signed by Governor
AB 450 sets up an independent board comprised of four working paramedics, one emergency room doctor, and two members of the public, to make final determinations regarding appeals of paramedic disciplinary matters. Currently, the state EMSA Director has virtually unlimited power to deny, suspend or revoke a paramedic license, or put a license holder on probation for acts related to their role as paramedics. This bill will bring impartiality into the current system of licensure discipline, and assure California’s paramedics that they will receive fair due process.
This bill is particularly significant for Local 1014 as it represents many years of hard work and dedication from our Executive Board. This fight began with our own former Vice President Dave Morse and current Director Pat Dolan fighting against double jeopardy for our Paramedics. Both Directors along with Director Jason Cervantes have served on the California Professional Firefighters EMS Committee and have been a major part of moving this bill forward. This is the first major step to reform the disciplinary system for our people. Thank you to all our Local 1014 Board Members who have fought to make this bill a reality and create a standard of discipline that makes sense for our members.
AB 389 (Grayson) – Ambulance Services
Status: Signed by Governor
AB 389 clarifies the existing authority of the “Fire Alliance Model” in which a county can contract with a fire agency for emergency ambulance services when that fire agency provides those services through a subcontract with a private ambulance provider. This model has been successful in keeping control of EMS within the fire agency and out of the hands of the private ambulance provider, and providing cost-effective solutions. Contra Costa County successfully piloted this program with the support of Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Contra Costa County Professional Firefighters, Local 1230. Additionally, AB 389 codifies new transparency and workforce protections applicable to counties and fire agencies that elect to enter contracts for emergency ambulance services.
SB 278 (Leyva) – CalPERS: Disallowed Compensation
Status: Signed by Governor
A number of retired firefighters and other public workers have been hit by huge bills and retroactive take-backs from CalPERS, citing overpayments that were no fault of the employee. SB 278 closes this loophole, requires the employer to make the retiree whole, while also implementing procedures at CalPERS to prevent future errors.
AB 845 (Rodriguez) Disability Retirement: COVID-19: Presumption
Status: Signed by Governor
This bill, until January 1, 2023, creates a presumption that would be applied to disability retirements on the basis, in whole or in part, of a COVID-19-related illness. It requires the presumed the disability is a result of the member’s employment. The bill would apply rebuttable presumption to members employed in specified firefighter, public safety officer, and health care job classifications, or their functional equivalents, and to members in other job classifications who test positive for COVID-19 during an outbreak of the disease at their places of employment, as defined.
SB 817 (Senate Governmental Organization Committee) State Board of Fire Services Ex-Officio Designees
Status: Signed by Governor
Through a committee bill, would allow the ex-officio members (State Fire Marshal, CalFire Representative who is not the SFM, Board Chair of the CFF-JAC and Directors of OES) of the State Board of Fire Services to select designees to attend meetings as their representatives.
Special thank you to our Los Angeles County, Local 1014 legislators and friends, Senator Connie Leyva, Assemblymember Freddy Rodriquez and Senator Lena Gonzales for their tireless work on our behalf! |
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TIM DRAPER INITIATIVE – ATTACKS ON FIREFIGHTER UNIONS
We have seen it across the country and now we are seeing it here in California—attacks on our right to unionize and collectively bargain for fair wages, hours and working conditions. Last month, Tim Draper, a venture capitalist, filed an initiative to end all public employees’ rights to bargain. The initiative states: “No public employee shall have the right to form, join, or participate in the activities of a public employee labor organization for the purpose of representing said employees on matters of employer-employee relations.”
Our members have faithfully served the public throughout the most significant pandemic in a century. They deserve more than to have their rights stripped away to bargain. Make no mistake this initiative strikes at the very heart of our rights as employees to band together to bargain. Together with our partners across the state and throughout all public sector unions, we will be aggressively fighting this initiative. We will keep you updated as we closely monitor this initiative and fight to protect our rights. |
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OPEN ENROLLMENT IS HERE!
The LA County Open Enrollment period for 2022 is in full swing! Local 1014 would like to remind you to review your benefits and encourage you to look at The Local 1014 Health Plan as an option for your family. The Local 1014 Health Plan is among the most comprehensive plans available to Firefighters anywhere in the nation and is tailored to meet our Firefighters’ needs. It is also the #1 choice for our members and their families.
We are committed to ensuring our members have benefits they need to start a family. That is why this year, we will be expanding our benefits to include enhanced fertility benefits including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). We now provide a $10,000 lifetime benefit for diagnosis, $25,000 lifetime benefit for treatment and a $25,000 lifetime benefit for drug therapy. |
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COVID VACCINE MANDATE
Your Union continues to fight for fair bargaining over the COVID Vaccine Mandate. Whether you are vaccinated or not, we need to stand together to ensure that we do not lose any of the protections and rights for which we have fought so hard. Our UNITED stance is that we do recommend that you get vaccinated, but we are 100% against mandatory vaccinations.
We ask you to refrain from registering with Fulgent and the County. We have filed formal impasse over the County's failure to complete bargaining before implementation of the policies. President Gillotte, along with our Negotiating Team, Vice Presidents Lew Currier and Kurt Kobler and Directors Tony Carcioppolo and Chris Reade are working to keep the communications open regarding the selection of a mediator.
Impasse procedures wont give us a final result but they will help to get valid information like our request for antibody testing and natural immunity verified and back at the bargainiing table to reach agreement.
Regardless of your stance on the vaccine, this is an issue of fair bargaining. We need to have solidarity for the sake of our future bargaining process. We cannot set the precedent that it is okay to circumvent our rights. Once again if your supervisor asks you to register or fill out any form, respectfully ask that they issue the request to you in writing. If you are pushed to fill out the form, respectfully ask to contact your Union representative. Use the following phrase if pushed: "My Union is currently bargaining accommodations for this item. If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present.".
If you have medical and/or religious or moral objections, the legal exemptions are in place and you will have Local 1014 representation to navigate that process once adherence to any compliance is in place.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the next General Membership Meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 10 am at the Alfred K. Whitehead Labor Center - 1014 Union Hall in El Monte.
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STEWARDS PROGRAM
If you are interested in being a part of the Local 1014 team, we are beginning our recruitment for our Union Stewards Program! We look forward to the work ahead and the partnership with our general members who have an interest in the future of our Department and all that affects our profession. Special thanks to committee chair Director Tony Carcioppolo and the Vice Presidents and Directors who put in countless hours to get this moving. |
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In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
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