Wood for E-Board
I’ve been on our fire department for 17 years and I’m convinced we all have some obligation to make this job better and safer for the long-term. For me, this means active union participation, and well-placed political action. Towards this end I’ve tried to pay my dues as a Trustee, Grievance member, and Station Rep. I’ve availed myself of labor education when offered, and I’ve served on numerous committees. Two years ago I had the privilege of attending the State Legislative Conference in Olympia.
Most important, I’ve seen how our contract negotiations play out from beginning to end, and I realize that there is nothing that we get that can be taken for granted. While it’s impossible to make everyone happy, by and large we win the big battles of wages, benefits and working conditions; and only because we pick our battles wisely and do our homework to prepare. With this upcoming election our union is losing some experienced and dedicated members. It would be easy to lose the thread of continuity that has made us successful. To see how quickly things can unravel, look no further than the Police Guild where a regime change allowed personal gripes to overwhelm the greater notion of being a union- the result is dysfunction and a failure to be proactive. For lack of concessions, they now face layoffs and in frustration their President elects to slam us in the pages of the Spokesman-Review. All he had to do was tell the City, “we’ll do what the firefighters did”, but I'm guessing the Guild lacks an established “brain trust” to honestly study the issue. Let’s not make the same mistakes.
I look forward to serving my union brothers and sisters on our eBoard during these challenging times, and I would appreciate your vote!
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Wood for E-Board - top line.
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