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« How Big Is Tennessee's Surplus, Really? | Main | On the Verizon » May 23, 2006Oh, Burn
The Nashville City Paper reports today that a number of state senators of both parties are moving to exempt their counties from the legislation which, if it passed, would allow fire fighters to unionize. While public-employee unions are in many cases forbidden to go on strike, that doens't mean they don't do it. Remember the air traffic controllers? The Professional Fire Department Employees Negotiation Act would also "make it unlawful" for a firefighters union in Tennessee to "engage in a strike," but when you read the rest of the legislation you realize the prohibition is nearly toothless: If a strike occurs, the municipality may ask the chancery court to enjoin the strike. The municipality may dismiss or take other disciplinary action against employees who have participated in a strike, upon a finding by the chancery court that a strike has occurred. The imposition of a penalty because of a strike would never be a negotiable topic for the organization and municipality.That's it. No jail time for putting the public's life and property at increased risk. No financial penalty. The union that engages in an illegal strike even retains its right to represent firefighters. No doubt it would continue to strike until all of the firefighters fired by the municipality were rehired with back pay. It's bad legislation with potentially disastrously dangerous consequences. Incidentally, state Sen. Doug Henry, D-Nashville, voted in favor of allowing fire fighters to unionize. He's facing a Democratic primary challenge this year from a union guy. If Sen. Henry survives that challenge, voters of District 21 will still have a chance to oust him in favor of someone who, I'm told, opposes allowing firefighters to unionize - if Bob Krumm wins the GOP nomination. Posted in Tennessee Government News
Comments
Does this law indemnify the firefighters from civil liability if they fail to respond because they are on strike? When I was a firefighter many moons ago, I took an oath to save and protect life and property. Posted by: Rick Forman at May 24, 2006 10:03 AMFreshman representative Matthew Hill is a co-sponsor of this bill. He's been working on it for a while now. Posted by: JW at May 25, 2006 10:55 PMYou need to actually take a look at this legislation. The firefighters I have talked to, put the NO STRIKE clause in the bill to protect citizens in the future. Also, this does nothing more than force the municipal leaders to sit and talk. It does not require any action. Teachers have had this exact ability since 1977 in Tennessee. Why can't the firefighters? Finally, this is not a unionization bill. Most professional firefighters already have unions established and have been for decades. So why are we seeing a massive reaction to this bill? Its intention seems excellent to me. Posted by: steve at May 26, 2006 7:04 AMSteve seems to be terribly confused about this issue HB2035/SB1116 the so-called "Professional Fire Department Employees Negotiation Act"--- by state law in Tennessee, only two cities (Memphis and Metro Davidson-Nashville) in Tennessee are cuurently required by state law to negotiate with firefighter unions, which is to say, you would be financially better well off buying a Powerball lottery ticket as an AIFF union card in most parts of this state. Another interesting point in this matter is that the average statewide wages in Tennessee for "professional" or paid firefighters is already at $30,000 per year without unions in most of the state. Undoubtedly, this AFL-CIO unionization legislation will drive up local property taxes across Tennessee, with local unions driving out volunteer firefighters (being non-union "scabs" don'tcha know) and pushing for the creation of more unionized metro-styled governments across the Volunteer State.(see links below) Rep. Matthew Hill received $2,000 in campaign funds in 2004 from the Johnson City Pro. Firefighters political action committee --- the remarkable thing about the Johnson City Pro. Firefighters PAC is that it is a front group for the AFL-CIO International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Johnson City Pro. Firefighters PAC received all of its reported 2004 contributions from the IAFF. You would think that some of the "professional" firefighters in Johnson attempting to get recognition of this union under state law, would have given some of their own money to the Johnson City Pro. Firefighters PAC. Nope, not one at any reported amount filed with the Tennessee Registry of Campaign Finance.
This bill, which is dead now, seeked to give profesional firefighters a voice at the town hall. A voice that the govmn't leaders had to listen to. It did not say that the leaders were required to take action. It also clearly stated that the firemen could not strike. In knoxville, the 3rd largest city in TN the firemen start at $25,500 This is not on track with the rest of the state. Posted by: Matt at June 29, 2006 10:17 PMFirefighters already have a "voice" within Tennessee governments --- their own! I seem to recall a Johnson City Press article about this issue that reported that last year only a small number of firefighters (three, as I recall) ever approached city management through the existing open door policy. Rep. Matthew Hill certainly gives a lot of lip service to being a conservative, yet he has no qualms about being an union shill for the AFL-CIO firefighters union while oppossing a minimum wage law in Tennessee, taking state and federal grant money for his own 501(c)(3) Appalachian Educational Communication Corporation, or being a phoney-baloney "pro-lifer" (during the 2004 elections, the majority of Hill's cmapign cash came directly and indirectly from former King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. John M. Gregory and other Gregory family members --- Altace business partners with Hoechst AG; google "Altace boycott" or the 1994 National Right To Life Committee boycott of Altace to learn all the facts)... BTW: $25.5k is an excellent "starting wages" for any 18 to 22 year old basic applicant with any Tennessee fire department...apparently both you and Rep. Hill failed to grasp the meaning of "average statewide wages"! Posted by: Elmer Gantry at July 29, 2006 11:44 PMPost a comment
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If, God forbid, your home should catch on fire one day, do you want your local firefighters to be on strike? Of course not. So if you live in Tennessee call your state representative and state senator and urge them to vote against the 