|
|
|
AB 1383: Protecting Firefighter Retirement Security
For our Local 1014 members, protecting our future means standing together—not just on the fireground, but in the halls where decisions about our careers and retirements are made. Our work takes a lasting toll on our bodies and health, and our retirement system must reflect that reality.
AB 1383 is a CPF-sponsored priority bill that is critical to firefighter retirement security. The California Professional Firefighters (CPF) is working around the clock to move this legislation forward this month.
Firefighting is a high-risk profession with real, long-term health consequences. AB 1383 recognizes that reality by strengthening fair and secure retirement protections for the men and women who protect California every day.
|
|
AB 1383 makes the following changes to California retirement law for public safety employees:
- Reduces the retirement age from 57 to 55
- Creates a new safety plan option with a 3% at 55 formula (subject to bargaining)
- Allows employers to pay a portion of the employee normal cost contribution (subject to bargaining)
- Permits bargaining of prospective retirement benefit increases within allowable tiers
- Increases the compensation cap to align with IRS Code
|
|
Stay informed. Stay engaged. Learn where AB 1383 stands and how you can help move it forward by visiting: cpf.org/activism
Help Local 1014 carry our collective voice when it matters most. When CPF asks for support—whether that’s sending an email or letter, or joining us at the Capitol—your participation makes a difference.
Please also take a moment to update your member information so Local 1014 on the union website can keep you informed on both state and local issues that impact our work. |
|
|
Click above to watch video.
|
|
Division Inspections
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 721 and California Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) members make up our Construction and Maintenance (C&M) Division. These union brothers and sisters are responsible for anything electrical, carpentry, plumbing, and general maintenance-related at our fire stations and facilities. Remember that during this Division Inspection season, these professional tradespeople perform the major maintenance on our facilities.
If any supervisor asks you to complete a “Division Inspection” related task at your work location, and it is out of your capabilities or limited by the county-provided supplies, equipment, and or PPE, please make sure you tell them immediately.
When station “projects” fall out of the scope of firefighters' abilities, they can create dangerous conditions. Never, under any circumstances, should 1014 members be asked to or do anything related to repairing or servicing electrical, air conditioning, overhead doors, diesel exhaust removal systems, or any other building systems. Leave this work to our union brothers and sisters at C&M, who are the professionals.
Local 1014 members should stay focused on being professional firefighters. Do not let the County and Fire Department executives' budget mismanagement drive our members to spend their own money and time to complete station maintenance projects.
By no means are we asking members not to show pride in their stations and equipment; we are simply asking for your help holding management accountable. Use this year's division inspection to inform the department's leadership of station maintenance needs and your expectations for their repair. Follow the normal procedures, chain of command, and proper channels for all station maintenance needs. When these methods fail to provide an adequate solution, notify a 1014 representative for assistance. |
|
Measure E: A Historic Win for Local 1014
Measure E is a pinnacle achievement for our Union—and it happened because of all of us.
This victory was powered by our collective membership: funding the campaign, carrying our message to the public, and earning the trust and support of the people we serve.
Because of Measure E:
- Four-person staffing is now a reality
- The measure generates $160 million annually, with escalators to keep funding current
- Funding supports engines, trucks, dispatchers, radios, equipment, and infrastructure projects
- 15 engines move to four-person staffing on January 1, with 20–25 engines per year transitioning over the next 5–6 years until all engines and trucks are minimally staffed with four personnel
- Expanded paramedic staffing, including some ranked positions
Once bargaining concludes, these operational enhancements—for both our members and the communities we serve—will move forward.
Thank you to the hardworking men and women of Local 1014—Firefighters, Paramedics, Pilots, Heavy Equipment Operators, FSAs, Dispatchers, HazMat, Fire Prevention Specialists—and to our Chief Officers who lead from the front, eat last, and never forget where they came from.
Our solidarity extends beyond Measure E. Together, we continue to fight for:
- Cancer presumption and PTSI protections
- Wildfire funding
- Social Security fairness and WEP repeal
- Fire ground survival and peer support training
- National cancer research and studies
- MAYDAY procedures embraced nationwide
We fight together. We train together. We achieve together. We go home safe together. Solidarity and Strength |
|
BINDING ARBITRATION
As we move into January, Binding Arbitration is our top legislative priority at the local level. Binding Arbitration is a critical tool for fire unions, particularly when contract interpretation or negotiations over Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) become stalled or adversarial—as is increasingly the case across public safety.
While political action will always remain essential, there must also be a fair and effective mechanism to resolve disputes when bargaining is influenced by executive pressure, funding objections, or operational claims that lack merit. Binding Arbitration provides that mechanism by placing unresolved issues into the hands of trained, neutral third parties whose decisions are final and binding on both parties. This ensures fairness, accountability, and good-faith bargaining.
For these reasons, Binding Arbitration is the number one local legislative priority for public safety unions this January. Local 1014 stands united in this effort alongside ALADS, LACOLA, PPOA, and our Chief Officers, who continue to work in partnership with us to advance fair and balanced labor relations. |
|
Alternative Work Schedules, Staffing, Promotions, and Training
Local 1014 continues to press the Department to improve planning and execution around hiring, promotions, paramedic school, retirements, and overall staffing cadence to ensure our ranks remain filled at every level. We thank the members who recently stepped up to compete for placement on the Captain’s hiring list, as well as those pursuing advancement into the Engineer rank. Both lists are expected to be fully consumed again due to ongoing and anticipated vacancies. To help maintain operational balance, the Captain’s list will likely be implemented in two waves, allowing Engineers to be placed in the field before those ranks are further reduced.
Paramedic vacancies remain at an all-time high and will be addressed through a joint effort to recruit and hire experienced Fire Medics from other agencies. At the Firefighter level, staffing remains strong, largely due to the Department’s use of the remaining firefighter and firefighter/paramedic eligibility lists. Compounding these staffing demands is the need to support 15 engines transitioning to four-person staffing this year, with an additional 20–25 engines per year moving forward.
In response, Local 1014 secured an agreement with the Department to create six new Fire Captain positions within the Training Services Section—the first-ever dedicated Training Captains. These positions will support drill towers, promotional academies, and overall workforce development. This Local 1014–driven and negotiated program would not exist without firm advocacy and is quickly becoming the gold standard for preparing our members for advancement.
We extend our sincere thanks to all who interviewed for the Training Captain positions. The six selected Captains will be heavily tasked, and the remaining candidates, along with existing Training Services instructors across all ranks, will continue working together to ensure success. Change is not always easy, but as we modernize systems and processes, our goal remains clear: better preparation, transparency, and predictability.
Looking ahead, the Department calendar must ultimately reflect all drill tower schedules, paramedic school opportunities, promotional exam dates, and anticipated retirements, creating a clear cadence that starts with retirements and ends with recruit hiring—while managing every position in between. This challenge stems from long-standing gaps in planning under prior administrations, and meaningful progress is now being made.
Local 1014 thanks Fire Chief, Chief Jon O’Brien, Chief Julia Kim, and their staff for working collaboratively with the Union Board to implement both immediate solutions and long-term improvements. Finally, congratulations to all members promoted to new ranks and those graduating from paramedic school. Your commitment and hard work strengthen our department and our Union. |
|
|
FIREFIGHTERS AGAINST CANCER STUDY
The California Firefighter Cancer Research Study is a groundbreaking research effort that brings together world-class scientists and active-duty firefighters to examine occupational exposures and the associated biological effects that increase cancer risk. As a community-based participatory research study led by Captains Jamie Gabriel and Derek Urwin, this effort prioritizes the voices and experiences of firefighters to inform and direct the work of researchers from the University of California system and to ensure that the results are of value to those who participate.
Among other efforts, this study examines biomarkers of exposure such as PFAS and heavy metals and biomarkers of carcinogenic effect such as changes in DNA methylation and markers of inflammation and immune suppression with the goal of reducing cancer risk among firefighters.
Enrollment in this study is simple and free for participants, and all data collected from the study is strictly confidential. Most importantly, research findings will be reported back to all participants and include not only information on exposures and biological effects but also actionable recommendations for ongoing cancer risk reduction
|
|
|
If you have any questions, please get in touch with either 1014 Director Urwin or Dr. Hussain. Thank you for considering this opportunity!
Derek Urwin, PhD Captain, Los Angeles County Firefighters, IAFF Local 1014
Assistant Professor, UCLA Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Cancer Control & Survivorship Program, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
djurwin@ucla.edu | 818.378.5104
Shehnaz Hussain, PhD
Professor, UC Davis Dept of Public Health Sciences
Associate Director, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
skhussain@ucdavis.edu | 310.429.9859
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LOCAL 1014 MEMBERS GET ACCESS TO 401K
After a hard-fought multi-year battle with the County, the Coalition of County Unions bargained to get access to the County's 401(k) savings and investment account. The bargaining was co-chaired by Local 1014, and through political advocacy and many days at the bargaining table, we secured this amazing benefit. This will allow our members, along with the 457 plan, to save and invest for their families' futures. Please take the time to log in to your EMPOWER account and review both your 457 and now your 401 (k) plans to ensure your money is going where you want it to go, with sound financial advice to shelter taxes on your future retirement income. We are extremely proud to have fought for this benefit, and we know our members' lives improve when we have a good salary and benefits and the tools to use those earnings to provide a generous and hard-earned retirement for those who lay it on the line every day. We also encourage our members to attend one of the education webinars listed below.
Review the 401(k) Savings Participant Notification and the IRS limits that apply to the County of Los Angeles plans. The 401(k) Savings Participant Notification discusses the 401(k) Savings Plan that will be available to your members starting January 2, 2026. As well as several options on how to enroll, including 17 webinar options available to all eligible members throughout January.
Links to upcoming 401(k) Savings Enrollment virtual webinars are below. Click to register. All times below are in Pacific Standard Time.
|
|
| Tuesday, January 6th, 9 a.m. |
Tuesday, January 6th, 12 p.m. |
Tuesday, January 6th, 2 p.m. |
| Wednesday, January 7th, 9 a.m. |
Wednesday, January 7th, 2 p.m. |
Friday, January 9th, 9 a.m. |
| Friday, January 9th, 12 p.m. |
Friday, January 9th, 2 p.m. |
Wednesday, January 14th, 12 p.m. |
| Thursday, January 15th, 9 a.m. |
Thursday, January 22nd, 9 a.m. |
Thursday, January 22nd, 12 p.m. |
| Tuesday, January 27th, 12 p.m. |
Wednesday, January 28th, 9 a.m. |
Wednesday, January 28th, 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, January 29th, 9 a.m. |
Thursday, January 29th, 2 p.m. |
|
|
|
|
|
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
|
|
|
|
|
|
