Posts tagged firefighter
New group of Alexandria City workers vote to unionize
March 25, 2026 // As new negotiations gear up in Alexandria, public workers and unions around the state are waiting to see what Spanberger does with the public-sector collective bargaining bill that the General Assembly passed. The bill would remove the collective bargaining ban on local government, school board, and state employees. Currently, local government and school board employees only have the right to collective bargaining if their employers pass resolutions allowing them to do so. The bill would also extend collective bargaining rights to home care providers and service workers at public universities. The bill excludes university full-time professors, adjuncts, and librarians. These workers are waiting to see if Spanberger adds them back to the bill or makes other changes.
NY Fire Captain Charged with Forging Union Checks
February 24, 2026 // A 45-year-old fire captain in Glens Falls, New York has been arrested and charged with forgery and petit larceny after allegedly writing and cashing two checks from the fire department union account for his own personal use. Richard Stafford, who has worked for the Glens Falls Fire Department for 16 years, was serving as the union secretary at the time of the alleged incidents. Why it matters This case highlights concerns about financial mismanagement and abuse of power within public sector unions,
NYC firefighter unions back Andrew Cuomo for mayor, solidifying labor support
May 13, 2025 // He has secured the lion’s share of endorsements from labor unions compared to his rivals including: the Teamsters, health care workers 1199SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and most of the construction trade unions. UFA, which represents 20,000 firefighters, endorsed Andrew Yang in the 2021 primary while current Mayor Eric Adams. had been previously received support from the UFOA — which has 7,500 members including lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs, supervising fire marshals and medical officers.
Violet Township firefighter indicted for stealing $200,000 from union
May 5, 2025 // Eric Taft was charged with aggravated theft and tampering with records, according to an indictment.
New Haven Firefighters Win Fight for Independence
June 14, 2024 // The discovery process and UPFFA officials’ depositions revealed that the statewide union had been mishandling members’ dues. In fact, UPFFA’s president had used union money to pay for vacations, expensive meals, baseball games, and other questionable expenses. UPFFA’s treasurer even admitted to knowingly misreporting $20,000 in political action committee funds. In the end, after 130 court filings, Local 825 achieved a ruling that upheld its independence, exposed UPFFA officials’ financial misdeeds, and reached a settlement that required them to pay nothing to the statewide union.
Former fire union president arrested for trying to scare highest-ranking female firefighter out of applying for chief
June 6, 2024 // Under Steele, the fire union successfully rallied voters in 2018 to put limits on the city manager’s pay and tenure and to give the union the unilateral power to call for binding arbitration during contract negotiations. However, that victory soon backfired on firefighters. After the union invoked its new power in 2019, a panel of arbitrators handed down a contract that fell short of what firefighters had hoped and for which the union is still trying to make up ground in its latest negotiations. Steele retired from SAFD as a battalion chief in August 2021, leaving the union at the same time. He is free on bond after being booked into the Hays County Jail Friday.
Unions, lawmakers protest Boeing firefighter lockout
May 16, 2024 // Earlier this month, Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab locked out about 130 members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66 who rejected two contract offers - a move that last week drew the concern of President Joe Biden. At a rally outside Boeing headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, IAFF President Edward Kelly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Representative Val Hoyle urged Boeing to make a deal.
Tens of thousands of workers in Florida have just lost their labor unions. More is coming.
February 22, 2024 // The numbers are not being tracked or published by the state or any labor organization, so WLRN requested the records and created a public database to track the fallout of the law. Most affected employees perform core public sector jobs like teaching in schools, doing clerical work for state and local government, repairing engines and machinery for government agencies, answering 911 calls at call centers and working at city parks.
Miami-Dade teachers’ union faces potential decertification
November 17, 2023 // As of last week, only 58.4% of United Teachers of Dade members were paying dues to the union, short of the 60% required by most public sector unions under a new state law. On Friday, the union was set to send a snapshot of membership to the Public Employee Relations Commission, or PERC, the state agency that regulates public employee unions.
How California’s Firefighter Union Could Get Guaranteed Raises, Forever
July 5, 2023 // “Firefighters are already among the best-paid government workers in the state,” said Will Swaim, president of California Policy Center, an advocacy group that is critical of California public employee unions. “No one else in California gets that deal,” he said. Michael Genest, the former finance director under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, also called promises of future raised “irresponsible.” “Governors and legislators always regret having made such promises when our budget goes out of balance,” he wrote in an email. “The wise move is to make decisions about the allocation of state revenues each year and even then to be careful not to spend more on anything than is prudent.”