Janus Decision: How will it impact Marin Firefighters?

Dear Local 1775 Member,

After the media coverage of the recent Supreme Court case of Janus v. AFSCME, I felt it appropriate to write to all of the members of Local 1775.  Mr. Janus, while accepting the negotiated benefits, which included wages, health benefits, retirement benefits and good working conditions, decided he did not want to pay his fair share.  He then challenged the California law which allowed his Union to collect a fair share for negotiating on his behalf. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court sided with Mr. Janus.

The bottom line is Mr. Janus wanted the benefits, but did not want to pay his fair share.  This is no different than one of us sitting down at the firehouse dinner table, eating a meal and having the non-Union Firefighter say “that was an excellent meal, now please pay for me”.  How fair is that?

Being a Union member is not about self.  Being a Union member is being part of a family.  We unite with our fellow Firefighters to improve our wages, benefits, working conditions and to take care of our families.

On June 1, 1968, the Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775 began to organize Marin’s Firefighters that shared common goals to improve the Firefighting Profession, the lives of Firefighters and their families.  Our membership started with 18 members from 5 Fire Departments. Today we represent 388 members from 11 Fire Departments.

Those 18 original members took the first steps to pursue and achieve the wages, benefits and working conditions that we have today.  Those excellent benefits came from men and women working together. In 1968 it was common for Firefighters to work a 72-hour week, be required to work two jobs in order to pursue being a Firefighter, receive no additional compensation for working overtime beyond the regularly scheduled hours, there were very few retirement programs, and those that were in existence were far from adequate.  In 1968 we did not have the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, which requires collective bargaining, and the safety and well-being of Firefighters was an afterthought.

Working together, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and your Local, 1775, have improved Firefighter wages, benefits and working conditions.  Currently, in Marin County, a Professional Firefighter works a 56 hour work week, receives FLSA pay, does not have to work a second job, has contractual overtime at one and one-half times their regular pay, has a retirement plan that allows for real retirement security, has medical coverage for the Member and family during employment, and extended coverage after retirement.  In addition, with the assistance and support of the IAFF, and CPF, safety conditions, to include our equipment, our living environment and our exposure to toxins, has greatly improved.

The Union lobbied vehemently that training, safety and the health of Firefighters had to be improved. OSHA, NIOSH, NFPA developed recognized standards for Firefighter training, safety and health.  The IAFF and CPF actively participate at these committee and association meetings advocating on behalf of Professional Firefighters.

Participation in the political arena, CPF has successfully supported legislation that provides presumptive workers’ compensation and retirement benefits for Firefighters that suffer from cancer, exposure to blood-borne and air-borne pathogens, suffer from hernias or lung problems, and heart and cardiovascular problems.  In addition, there are substantial death benefits for our Members’ families in the unfortunate circumstance where a Member dies in the line of duty.

Now, 50 years later, Local 1775 continues to organize and represent Marin’s Firefighters who share the common goal of improving the Firefighting Profession, the lives of the Firefighters and the security and health of their families.

Local 1775 provides the financial, political and legal means to represent our members. We have sponsored our own training for negotiations, retirement, workers compensation, Fire Fighters Bill of Rights. We have provided IAFF training – Peer Fitness Training, Peer Support Training, Fire Ground Survival, attended Political training academy, Communications training academy and through CAL-JAC Unified Response to Violent Incidents (Active Shooter) training.

Politically, Local 1775 supports candidates that support our right to unionize, meet and confer, collectively bargain (negotiations), have a retirement system, are willing to have a conversation about the importance of increasing engine staffing from 2 to 3 Firefighters and willing to learn about consolidation of fire services.

Local 1775 has a long history of legally representing our Members in negotiations, impasse, fact finding, mediation, and disciplinary investigations.  We have gone to court winning victories: 1) City of Sausalito - Sausalito Battalion Chiefs win the right to join Local 1775; 2) against the Marin County Employees Retirement Association - recovered $500,000 for our MCERA members – NOVATO, SAN RAFAEL, SOUTHERN MARIN and MARIN COUNTY; 3) most recently, from 2015 to 2017, we filed a combination of 8 complaints and lawsuits over improper FLSA calculations.  The Local 1775 legal team (Attorneys, Shop Stewards and Local 1775 leadership) recovered nearly 1.3 million dollars that our Members had rightfully earned.

Our Union family supports and cares about our Members and community.   Local 1775, on behalf of our membership, make annual donations to: Novato Firefighters Foundation- Steve Rucker Memorial Golf Tournament, Widows & Orphans, Zero Breast Cancer, November Prostate Cancer, VELO Cycle Ride to honor fallen Firefighters to  Cancer, Muscular Dystrophy Association, St. Francis Burn Center, Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, Toys for Tots, Soroptimist, SF & Marin Food Bank, Marin Survivors and Hospice.

The October 2017 Fire Storms destroyed Firefighter families’ homes and property.  Local 1775 responded for all IAFF Union members. A center was set up to assist our Union members, ACTIVE & RETIRED, to  access shelter, food, funds, FEMA, insurance information, and PEER support. Local 1775 started a community fundraiser for our Firefighter Families - GO FUND A HERO.  Individuals, corporations and Unions have donated $500,000.  Local 1775, in partnership with the Novato Fire Foundation, have distributed $300,000 to Firefighters and their families who are recovering from loss of homes, property and lives.  This October we will distribute the remaining $200,000, plus all additional donations that we continue to receive for our Union Firefighter families!

Local 1775 was formed by 18 Firefighters that shared common goals to improve the Firefighting Profession, the lives of Firefighters and their families. By paying our “fair share” we continue to improve the Firefighting Profession, the lives of Firefighters and their families, wages, benefits, working conditions and safety.

As always, if any of you have questions, you may feel free to contact me directly.

Fraternally,

Bob Briare, President

Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775