Total Words in this Document: 902
Title: Five Reasons Why Firefighters Need a Strong Union
The benefits and protection given to firefighters by their local union are crucial for the success of departments and their employees who serve their communities. Here are five key reasons why a strong union is essential to today’s firefighters.
1. Guaranteed Safety and Fair Pay
Before the first firefighter union was established in 1918, firefighters were not treated fairly. They were considered to be “unskilled laborers”, and were treated as such. Firefighters were forced to work over 80 hours a week, and for shifts that could last as long as 24 hours.
Without the organization of the first firefighter …show more content…
No contract or deal between a union and management can be finalize unless it is first ratified by the union members. In other words, even with elected representation, the power of decision-making stays with the worker.
3. Job Security for Fire Fighters
When firefighters have a strong union representing their best interests, they have job security. The San Antonio Firefighters Union was formed in direct response to the unjust firing of 92 firefighters in May of 1920. It took 27 years, but by 1947, the right to organize a union was awarded to firefighters in San Antonio. And we have been functioning as a family ever since.
Because of the foundation we built then, and the strong team we have become today, the SAPFFA Local 624 successfully protects the job security of our local union firefighters. We have an employment package that we could not have secured if we did not come together as a union. Our firefighters are living longer, healthier lives and San Antonio is safer for our …show more content…
Professional Training for New Firefighters
Unions develop educational resources for the recruitment and training of new firefighters. The benchmarks set by a professional firefighting union can ensure quality in the future generations of firefighters.
The IAFF offers a curriculum that informs interested job-seekers exactly how they can become a firefighter. These materials are developed by union professionals and shared with the general public free of charge. They also provide specific tool kits that cover common situations firefighters encounter, like the safety and deployment of resources or how to recruit a diversity first responders.
Because these materials are union-developed, you know they come from actual firefighters and the information they provide is accurate and up-to-date. The union’s best interests are the same as the workers. So, the curriculum developed by these people will be the best possible for the safe and proper education of new firefighters.
5. Medical Treatment, Benefits and Support for Firefighters and Their Families
Firefighting is an extremely dangerous job. Unions offer support services that can help take care of their