Here’s a direct link to the petition, sign it NOW!: http://bit.ly/notowers Please sign and share
January 29, 2015
PROTECT YOUR HEALTH AND ENSURE YOU LIVE TO BE THERE WITH YOUR FAMILIES…SIGN OUR PETITION AND HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD…FIREFIGHTERS AND FAMILIES AND FRIENDS CAN SIGN AS WELL… PLEASE DO IT NOW…
Brothers, Sisters and your families:
I write to you with our first piece of very heavy and real life safety business affecting our membership. Your Executive Board has been meeting and putting together a very effective plan of action regarding not only structure of the Union, but goals, objectives and priorities for the year and the term.
I am very encouraged by the passion and desire to get a renewed “Team of Ten” approach going again and also a set of priorities including of course negotiating a new contract which will take every bit of our collective energy to accomplish. I will be putting out details on our Organizational Structure and Duties and Assignments with such goals and objectives with plans, but before us right now is our first major challenge of significant weight.
As you are aware, the County and LA RICS are attempting to permanently build cell phone and radio tower antennas at our stations and they tell us it’s safe and all good. We are engaged in a fight with very powerful and strong interests in a David vs. Goliath way to fight off the heavy weight interests that seek to put money over our health. We have all of the information on the risks and the issues involving this threat which is in motion. We need our entire membership to unite and commit to help fight and to stop the towers. This is similar to Commerce in the day… Local 1014 United to defeat a threat that everyone said was an unwinnable fight, and we won. We can win this also, but it will require that same alliance of all members, our families and partners who will stand with us.
Do your part and please log on to our petition site and click to support the effort as we seek resolution with the County of Los Angeles. I have asked the Fire Chief to do the same and our families can stand with us and help also. Forward this message to all of your networks and help send our message to the officials with authority to work with us to find solutions to protect our radio systems without endangering our health.
Thank you in advance on behalf of the entire Local 1014 Executive Board,
Dave Gillotte, President
Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014
URGENT HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE ACTION ITEM FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION AND ACTION
Dear Chief Osby and Members of Local 1014 and All County Employees,
This is an open letter to you to call to your attention a serious health and safety issue affecting our members, citizens and the other Fire Department County Employees who will be affected by the decision of the Department and the County to construct cell phone and radio antennas at more than 80 Los Angeles County Fire stations.
We have conveyed to you the very serious health and safety concerns regarding the prolonged exposure to RF Emissions associated with these antennas. All the while the Department, LA RICS and their Contracting Partner continue to downplay and refer to antiquated and non-health related exposure limits set by the FCC, not one health organization with any level of expertise.
We have also conveyed to you, the CEO and the BOS, the fact that only ONE RF Exposure Study has been done at ONE fire station. This is a direct, blatent violation of the contract which expressly mandates testing and modeling at each site PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION, and yet the Department continues to authorize construction to continue. The testing is only for today’s technology and does not take into account the future growth of technology and the increases in exposure in any manner and is at best a smoke and mirrors approach to protecting our members safety.
You have clearly indicated your number one priority is the Health and Safety of the employees and adopted this in your strategic plan for the Department. You have done some tremendously great work in areas of training and safety gear and other such areas where we have worked together for improved working conditions and while we have much left to do, we call on you openly to ADOPT A STOP CONSTRUCTION POSITION on the cell sites and work with us to find alternative radio service delivery plans to complete the interoperability LA RICS Radio Project. We have discussed many options and while we will continue to dialog with you, the CEO and the BOS to find those solutions we are on record to oppose all of the cell antenna installations even based on the FCC limits and failure for the modeling to predict technology growth.
We openly call on you, our members, our families and the citizens we serve to take a stand with us in solidarity and with true concern for worker safety. Convicted support and put safety of the Fire Fighters, Lifeguards, County Fire Workers and the Citizens in the communities we serve and OPPOSE THE CELL ANTENNA CONSTRUCTION AT OUR STATIONS. PLEASE SIGN ON TO OUR PETITION AT THE LINK LISTED BELOW AND TAKE A STAND TO PROTECT YOUR FIREFIGHTERS AND EMPLOYEES.
I have signed it and stand committed….. please join me now.
Dave Gillotte, President
LA County Firefighters Local 1014
Here’s a direct link to the petition, sign it NOW!: http://bit.ly/notowers- Please sign and share
Safety Stand Down for Cancer and PTSD Live Webcast ~ Wednesday, January 28
What: Live Webcast Date: Wednesday, January 28 Time: Begins at 8:00 a.m. PT/11:00 a.m. ET Web Link:www.iaff.org/ALTSwebcast
The IAFF will be presenting two live webcasts on two of the biggest issues in the fire service today - the increased risk for occupational cancers and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Streamed live on Wednesday, January 28 from the upcoming Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) in Anaheim, California, the webcast is FREE for all IAFF members.
The IAFF is urging affiliates and members to hold a safety stand down as these important issues are addressed.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Fire Service 8:00-10:00 a.m. (PT) / 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (ET)
Emergency responders are more susceptible to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of the nature of the profession coupled with the personal demands and challenges we all face. IAFF members respond to any number of traumatic incidents on a daily, ongoing basis. If not treated properly, the anxiety can build over time and can lead to PTSD. But all too often the effects can easily be overlooked as “a part of the job.” Presenters will discuss causes and signs/symptoms of PTSD and best practices for addressing it within your local.
Presenters:
Suzy Gulliver, Director, Warriors Research Institute and Professor Texas A&M
Frank Leto, Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854
Joe Schulle, President, Philadelphia Local 22
Kenneth Stuart, President, Seattle Local 27
Patrick Morrison, IAFF Health and Safety (moderator)
Cancer Awareness 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (PT) / 1:30-3:30 p.m. (ET)
In 2014, 56 percent of line-of-duty deaths among IAFF members were from occupational cancer. Developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to help prevent exposure to dangerous carcinogens is more important than ever. This workshop helps provide the tools necessary to affect personal commitment, organizational accountability and exposure tracking methods to minimize or eliminate the contraction of occupational related cancers.
As you undoubtedly know a contractor for the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) is in the process of installing cell towers at 86 County fire and lifeguard facilities. The County has failed to meet and confer on this issue, a violation of our contract, and we have filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge on this matter. Further, the contractor is required to perform site-specific RF emission safety studies in advance of the planning and permitting process. They have not conducted these studies and are in violation of their own contract with LA-RICS and in violation of County policies.
Cell tower Radio Frequency radiation has been reported to cause debilitating symptoms including excessive fatigue, headaches, weakness, memory impairment, tinnitus, dizziness, irritability, sleep disturbances, vertigo and balance problems. (Carpenter, 2014). Local 1014 leadership will not stand by while toxic cell towers are installed at fire facilities – and neither should you.
Please take a minute to sign our petition today to demand that the County direct LA-RICS to immediately halt installation of cell towers at all LA County fire and lifeguard facilities! After you have signed the petition, please share the petition with any and everyone you know: co-workers, family, and friends.
About LA-RICS & this project
The Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) is a Joint Powers Authority created to establish an integrated wireless voice and data communications system to serve law enforcement, fire service, and health service professionals County-wide. LA-RICS has 86 members, including the County of Los Angeles, 82 cities, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Los Angeles and Inglewood school districts. The County of Los Angeles provided start up funding of $10 million and acts as the administrative agency.
LA-RICS plans to install cell towers at 231 sites, including approximately 86 County fire and lifeguard facilities, comprising stations, training facilities, and camps. The contractor, in coordination with LA-RICS’ third party environmental services consultant, is required to perform site-specific RF emission safety studies in advance of the planning and permitting process. Additionally, LA-RICS and its vendors must comply with the required Conditional Use Permit processes and LA County Planning Department policies.
Any questions please contact 1014 Director Lew Currier at (310) 925-2588 or the hall directly (310) 639-1014.
Service information for our LACOLA LG Brother Brian Kutil
LA County Lifeguards Association (LACOLA) Ocean Lifeguard Specialist (OLS) Brian Kutil, Central Section, Lifeguard (LG) Division, Central OPS, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at the age of 42.
Los Angeles County Fire Fighters Local 1014 would like to take a moment to remember the late Martin Luther King Jr.
Local 1014 is one of the major sponsors of the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Los Angeles. We, along with our Labor Partners in the LA Federation of Labor and a host of top elected officials including our very good friend Mark Ridley Thomas will take time to reflect on not only a civil rights leader but also a Labor Leader who helped with so many Labor issues for workers including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) of which firefighters are familiar with every two weeks! Many Labor victories that affect us today were fought for long ago with great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.
Have a great finish on the holiday weekend and remember the man we honor and his work.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We need to constantly reflect on the privilege of being blessed to live in
LOS ANGELES -- Thousands of participants lined the streets of South Los Angeles to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.
The 29th annual Kingdom Day Parade was the nation's largest celebration honoring the late civil rights leader on his birthday. The theme of this year's parade was "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us 'Round."
Marching bands, drill teams, dance groups and equestrian units took part in the nation's oldest King Day celebration.
The festivities celebrating the slain civil rights leader kicked off at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue.
From there, it rolled west along King Boulevard before heading south onto Crenshaw Boulevard. It then marched down Crenshaw to Vernon Avenue, where the parade ended with a gospel festival in Leimert Park. The event also featured food booths and fun things to do for the entire family.
ABC7 anchors Leslie Sykes and Michelle Tuzee hosted the parade coverage, with Q McCray and Danny Romero along the route talking to excited spectators.
Eyewitness News anchors Marc Brown, Ellen Leyva, Phillip Palmer and Alysha Del Valle also rode in the parade.
This year's parade marked the 45th anniversary of King's assassination.
LOCAL 1014 MEMBERS: Pleasebe advised that this month membership dues will be adjusted to $50.16 semi-monthly. These dues are calculated as 11/3% of top step Fire Fighter pay ($7,375.87), plus a $2.00 legislative fee.
The change follows our recent 2.0% COLA raise and will be reflected on your January 30th paycheck. As always, we thank you for your hard work and dedication in making Local 1014 a stronger Union
2014 INCOME TAX INFORMATION
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MEMBERS INFORMATION
LOCAL 1014 DUES - LOS ANGELES COUNTY (CODE EU103)
Deductions Made:
January - August 2014
$772.16
September - December 2014
$393.68
Total
$1,165.84
RETIRED MEMBERS INFORMATION
Retired Member’s deductions for medical coverage are calculated on an individual basis and appear on your retirement check.
Dues for Retired Members are $1.00 per month ($.25 per month for those without insurance) and appear on your retirement check.
Any questions please contact the hall (310) 639-1014 or info@local1014.org
While our membership finishes out the last day of 2014, some with friends and family, and some with brothers and sisters at the shop and on the job serving our citizens today, we clearly all will be reflecting on 2014 and preparing for 2015.
We have many things to be thankful for in our lives and certainly as “Los Angeles County Fire Fighters” (Whole 1014 Family!) we have more than most in the Fire Service to be thankful for in our wages, benefits, and working conditions. We wouldn’t want to work anywhere else, and clearly many others pray to be able to work here. We should be proud of our job and our Union and the people that make it happen each and every day.
Please also take a moment to remember all those who we lost in 2014 on our job, and also to “Never Forget” all of those we lost historically. Their families will go on, and so too does life, and we can be a part of that forward motion while keeping them all in our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers.
As 2014 comes to a close it is windy but cold. We are seeing snow in places it barley ever rains and in others the wind is howling like usual. Fortunately we have had some rain lately to help keep from having fire weather and recalls.
As we all know this year we went through some difficult issues that at times divided stations, shifts, Battalions and long time friends. Let's commit to repairing any issues that may be lingering from those and lets move on. We have many things to look forward to in 2015 the least of which begins soon with contract negotiations.
New Year’s Resolutions for us all: To start our list of Resolutions for 2015, let us all seek to incorporate the word and the mantra of “RESPECT” back into our daily grind.
RESPECT each other and treat each other like brothers and sisters, RESPECT the Job and the Traditions that go along with it long before us and long after, RESPECT those we serve each day and treat them as if they were our very own family, RESPECT the Union Work and the MOU and Rules and Regulations we have fought so hard to put in place with great reason and purpose, RESPECT Professional Standards of Service for Our Trade and Occupation through how we look, act, and train and serve because folks, that is what we make:
“TRADITIONS OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE”…..Los Angeles County Fire Fighters IAFF Local #1014…
In closing we wish all of you a very Happy New Year and remember as with most holidays that may involve consuming of alcohol, CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY! If you are going to have a little liquid cheer, GET A ROOM, GET A CAB, GET A DRIVER! Also DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE!; the next killer we will begin to tackle. Make good decisions, this is not just about fines and penalties…it is about your job, your families and other lives that could be affected with one bad night out. Don’t do it. Make a plan in advance.
Give those things a little thought, and when we come back in 2015, let’s get to it once again stronger than ever, more challenged than ever to be better, progress more and set more “Traditions of Service Excellence” in every way we can…
Happy New Year and once again….PLEASE CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY! BE SAFE TONIGHT…
2014 comes to an end very soon, and as we head into Christmas Day we will all likely take time to remember to slow down a bit and enjoy friends and family and traditions steeped in time and history. In all honesty, we should take time all year to remember why we work so hard and care so much for our way of lives, our friends and families and our spirituality and humanity, but we know Christmas time and the end of the year holidays tend to get us to our homes, our churches, our neighborhoods and our children at a time when we really all shut down and stop and smell the roses and give thanks.
Your Executive Board of Local 1014 will also take time between now and the start of the new year to breath a bit and enjoy our families and friends also. As we all take time to reflect and remember the past year and the events that will define 2014 for us all personally, remember to take pride in your accomplishments at work and in your support and participation through Local 1014 to protect and advance and secure our very wonderful profession as Los Angeles County Fire Fighters, Paramedics and Fire, Forestry, Health Haz-Mat and Dispatch Personnel. Both sworn and non-sworn Local 1014 Members have worked tirelessly to produce results that are undeniably the envy of most every other department around us and throughout the state, both large and small.
Take a moment everyday to be thankful for what we have and remeber those we have lost, WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
Each of us should remember why we work so hard to keep our professional job standards so protected and high on comparison…so we can be safe at work and earn a good living to go home and enjoy our families. Take time to get to your home and spend a little time with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and your friends and families this Christmas. We know there will be more economic and political and legislative challenge in 2015, and we’ll be ready once again, but for this short time let’s breath shall we? We have all earned it and let us not forget life is short and our challenges to stay healthy are more than most given our chosen profession.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and may you have a blessed Holiday Season with your family and friends and brothers and sisters at work. Be safe at work in all that you do, and please remember to be safe off duty as you celebrate and if you are going to drink at all, DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE. GET A DRIVER, GET A ROOM, GET A CAB…PUT THE PHONE DOWN….. MAKE A PLAN! It is not just about fines and penalties, but about protecting lives as we know all too well. Set the example for your children and each other and lead…DON’T DO IT, MAKE A WISE DECISSION.
Thank you for all you do and we will be well rested and ready for the challenges that 2015 holds for us all.
Los Angeles County Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 1014 – “Tradition of Excellence”
Thanksgiving is here and as we take time to celebrate and give thanks for all that we have, and as we prepare for the Holiday Season we would like to take a moment to say thank you to all of our members who work so hard and are committed to the work we do. Day in and day out, our membership lays it on the line literally and figuratively with pride filled, professional dedication to our craft and our service to the public. We work for one of the greatest Fire Departments in the Nation, and we are represented by one of the Strongest Fire Unions in the Nation, Local 1014.
Thanksgiving is a day we now know as a Recognized Holiday to not only give thanks, but also to kick off the Holiday Season and spend time with our families and friends and eat too much and celebrate all that is good. Thanksgiving has its origins in an annual Good Harvest Thanks and was a hard fought for recognized holiday in our history. The original meal of 1621 at Plymouth Rock was not formally set into America’s History until hundreds of years later. After much debate and political influence by Presidents Washington and Lincoln and 40 years of letters from author Sarah Josepha Hale to politicians, and with the help of stores and commerce interests who wanted to kick off spending for the season entering into Christmas, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on December 26, 1941, signed a joint resolution of Congress to set the Thanksgiving Holiday to be the fourth Thursday in November. This is now a vital part of our economy as well as a day to give thanks for hard work and the fruitful harvest of our efforts. This strangely sounds a lot like a Union Operation!
As we give thanks, and celebrate the holidays we also finish with the “Hard Work” of another year of membership effort and Local 1014 Elections. We have much to be thankful for in all that we have accomplished and much to prepare for to enjoy continued success into next year. Elections are over and the new Local 1014 Executive Board is set and will begin immediately preparing for the hard work ahead with negotiations up as the first issue for us to deal with.
Solidarity and Unity of Voice is paramount to our strength to get it done. We rose up and spoke loudly on so many items and the membership weighed in heavily in vote. Let us combine the freedom of minority opinion and majority voice to powerfully attack not just any one issue, but all of the issues that we will face heading into the New Year. We are stronger than ever and well positioned to accomplish much and navigate the challenges that lie ahead to keep our profession strong and our members well represented.
Enjoy the Thanksgiving Feast and give thanks and prayer for all we are fortunate to have and remember the hard work it took to get it done, and as always we ask that you do so responsibly. Choose not to drink this holiday or limit your drinks, but if you are going to drink alcohol, remember GET A DRIVER, GET A CAB or GET A ROOM… DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!
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