Friday Update 7-8-22
Updated On: Aug 12, 2022


 


Sisters and Brothers, 

This week, we begin by congratulating our newly promoted Captains from the 24th Fire Captain’s Academy. The academy provides team members with leadership training, wildland incident operations training, and other fundamental skills needed in their new capacity.

Your union is committed to ensuring that we maintain not only a regular schedule for classes for new firefighters but also regular promotional classes to ensure that our members have the opportunity to promote and we can fill all ranks and continue to provide relief from recalls and support our families. 

Congratulations to our newest Captains! 
Negotiations 

The slow but steady path to fair agreements continues in both salary unit bargaining for Fire Series and Fringe Benefits negotiations with the CCU. 

This week the unit table slowed. The priority is to “find the money” for the COLA.  We will be continuing with our analysis of the Department budget, both past, present and prospective forecasts.  We also are engaged in work to stabilize our budget deficit through proper prioritization of expenditures and realizing maximum revenues as well as alternative and additional revenue streams.  It is unfortunate we are delayed because we have to balance the books, and seek and create revenue for the Department but it is a critical task not just for the contracts but also for the long-term financial stability of our great Department.  

In fringe benefits bargaining each week has been very productive with monetary moves towards a fair increase in our medical, dental and vision premiums. It is equally critical to bargain for substantial increases in premium contribution to keep up with medical inflation.  We also made significant progress in life insurance, AD&D, and dependent and child care benefits.  

We will meet again next Wednesday to continue the work.  We anticipate a rough but expeditious table.  Chief Negotiator Gillotte is joined by Local 1014 negotiators Kobler, Green and Carcioppolo, and all 15 Unions in the CCU.   The Unit table has all members of the Executive Board at the table.  

President Gillotte appointed Directors Carcioppolo and Reade as co-chairs to lead the unit table.   We must involve our newer members of the board and ensure all members understand how bargaining works, and how to craft and land a deal.  We will convene next Friday again to discuss our salary with funding for our COLA as a priority. 

EBAC - CCU Committee Work 

In fringe bargaining, the Coalition of County Unions (CCU) has representatives on the Employee Benefits Administration Committee (EBAC). This committee is a negotiated labor/management committee where bids for our medical, dental, and vision through health plans are negotiated and crafted with the health plans.  President Gillotte, along with Vice President Kobler sit on the committee along with other CCU Union representatives.  

This past week months of work negotiating with contentious and adverse meetings between the County and the Unions resulted in unanimous EBAC committee approval of rates and increases in medical, dental and vision benefit levels.  Also of importance is getting this work done in coordination with CCU bargaining so we can set rates, bargain for benefits and get done in time to have all the information our members need for Choices enrollment.  

Thank you to the County and CCU representatives on EBAC and to our consultants who work with us to track national trends, rates and benefit administration standards so we can continue to not only keep up, but enhance our choices for medical, dental and vision care.  

Look for more information on plan details and bargaining progress in the coming weeks.  We look forward to wrapping this up and getting a ratified fringe contract in place for the next few years.

  
WEARING OF MILITARY SERVICE RIBBONS ON DRESS UNIFORMS

Finally, this week, we also saw a big announcement following years of work by Local 1014 Director Jason Cervantes for the approval of wearing military ribbons on dress uniforms. The Fire Department has a long history of honoring and supporting our past and present United States military members and their families and we are pleased to continue that tradition with this outward sign of respect and honor for past service.  

Members are encouraged to wear ribbons representing authorized decorations or awards for service in the Armed Forces of the United States or awarded by an ally friendly to the United States at the time of service.  Military ribbons may be worn on the outermost garment of the Class A Uniform; on a Class A shirt, they shall be affixed below the badge on the left chest flap pocket.   

Military ribbons worn on the dress coat shall be affixed below the badge and above the left chest (see EA below).  If necessary, the badge may be adjusted upward to provide space for the ribbons. 

Thank you to Director Cervantes for you hard work to make this a reality for our members. 

  
Click here to view full EA

In Solidarity, 

President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board 

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