UFOA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
March 13, 2008
President's Report
- Computerized Injury Reporting System CIRS (CD-72 / CD-73)
- BISP Training
- Computerized Injury Reporting System
- Training Initiative Notification
- City Council Report
- Delegates’ Seminar
- Boston Firefighters Local 718
- FDNY Spring College Fair
- MDA Week
- Filing for Promotional Exams
- Bravest Scholarship Fundraiser
- Palm Sunday Mass
- FDNY vs. NYPD Hockey Game
- Overtime Average
- Uniformed Vacancy Report
- Legal Proceedings
- Administrative Proceedings
The proposed dues increase was approved by the membership on March 5th. The count was 990 in favor, 854 not in favor. The returned ballots accounted for 73% of the UFOA membership, 2543 mailed, 1858 returned with 14 ballots voided for various reasons. I along with the entire Executive Board would like to thank everyone for your confidence and trust; be assured that this dues increase will ensure a sound financial future for the UFOA.
We have sent the necessary notifications to the Office of Payroll Administration and have been told to expect the new rate change to be implemented in four to six weeks. We estimate at the earliest, that the paydate of April 18th will reflect the new dues deduction, possibly the later paydate of May 2nd. Just prior to the new dues deduction, we will mail to every member a letter outlining what the deduction should be for your rank/step and insurance deduction.
At the February GMM, I promised that new By-Laws would be proposed that would address the concerns raised by some members regarding this dues increase and new dues structure. This evening, under New Business, the Executive Board will propose these new By-Laws and I feel that they will satisfy those concerns. The process to pass these new proposals is the same as the previous dues increase proposal. We will need a majority vote in the affirmative this evening and at the April GMM and then a ballot will be mailed to the entire membership. The ballot count will take place 2 weeks later. (See attached.)
The past few days, I and the Political Action Committee, John Dunne, George Belnavis and Eddie Boles attended the IAFF Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. In addition to hearing some interesting presentations, we also met with quite a few of New York City’s Congressional people and Sen. Schumer. We again stated our positions on continued and increased support for Homeland Security funds and ensured that they all continue to press for the passage of the Zadroga Bill.
This coming Monday is March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day and we are all looking forward to the Parade. However, the UFOA Executive Board strongly encourages all Fire Officers to bear in mind their responsibilities when they wear their uniform at public events. We all recall that the FDNY was unceremoniously moved back in the line of march last year. Many, many people from the union, Wall Street, the Bishops and Cardinal and the Department voiced their objection to the Parade Committee and this year, the FDNY is back in its rightful place. The UFOA implores every member to remember the efforts of these folks and to march with proper decorum throughout the day and night. Do not allow this Dept. to be embarrassed in any fashion.All members should familiarize themselves with Dept. Order #23 Supp. #16, sec. 2.1.1 regarding CFR-D re-certification. The Dept. has clearly outlined who gets a TPR mark and when; do not delineate from these procedures in any way. If you are unsure of these procedures, do not hesitate to contact your superior officer for guidance.
The “pilot program” for dispatching units in Queens has created some concerns from our members. We have had discussions with Operations and we have looked closely at the three fatal fires of the past few weeks. Like many new things, there will be “shortfalls” or “mistakes” and hopefully they will be corrected. We will monitor this program closely and would appreciate receiving information from those units affected by this program. One important factor involving Queens is that we are aggressively pursuing political avenues to get Engine Co. 261 re-opened. Congressman Joe Crowley is leading this action and has corresponded with the Mayor, in fact he is meeting with him this week. It is due to the large construction, alteration and population increase in that area, that we feel there may be an opportunity to convince City Hall to re-open this unit.
At the Labor /Management Meeting Held on Feb. 25, 2008, attended by Pat Reynolds, Rich Alles, & Steve Carbone the following was resolved and/or addressed:
Computerized Injury Reporting System CIRS (CD-72 / CD-73)
- No Officer can enter information on the new CD-72 until the medical office enters the injury information reported to car 32/33 first. This has resulted in Officer reporting not being able to fill out the report the same tour the injury happens. BHS medical cars have now been equipped with wireless access to the system. This will allow the Medical Officer to populate the MNS data from the field thereby eliminating the lag.
- Description of Injury field was limited to 250 characters. It has now been expanded to 4000 characters.
- Once the report was closed, the Officer could not retrieve the report, nor print a copy of it. This has been resolved and any Officer accessing the system can print any report in the system at anytime.
- ecurity of the document was discussed since the member/Officer does not actually physically sign this legal document. The system is password protected for all officers. The FDNY Legal Bureau has concluded that this password protection serves as a legal electronic signature. Any changes to any report can be traced back to the Officer accessing the report. Early in FY-09 the Department intends to provide password protection to all firefighters which will eliminate any security concerns.
Curriculum is being prepared for new firefighters and newly promoted Officers. The Department will also send all B.I. coordinators to a one-week training course. We will continue to push the Department to include all incumbent Officers in this endeavor to improve and maintain their skills in this area. We also discussed training and instruction for all Officers on both the new Fire Code and Building Code, which are to be adopted July 1, 2008. The negotiation will continue at the next scheduled meeting.
Currently only a running total of this item is maintained on the members pay stub. The Department has agreed to indicate on the pay stub the hours earned or used in the pay period assuming there are no technical impediments to this request. This negotiation should be finalized at the next meeting.
Training Initiative Notification
The UFOA was not notified formally in regards to the live burn exercise held 2/26/08. Chief Cassano assured us that such notification via Labor/Management would be standard procedure.
On February 12th, Jim McGowan and Eddie Boles attended the State of the City address as invited guests to Speaker Quinn. During her speech, it was revealed that there were going to be cuts in this year’s budget by every city agency. The Speaker did not speak specifically about the Fire Department budget but we concluded from her address that the FDNY would be faced with the same cuts, which is about 3%.
Tomorrow (March 14, 2008) the FDNY will be presenting their budget at the City Council Chambers at 12pm. We will be in attendance and anxiously await their presentation.
Will be held June 10 & 11, 2008 at the Inn at Pocono Manor. Delegates will be receiving additional information by mail shortly.
Will not be participating in the 2008 Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston. The Local has made a decision to skip this year’s event due to the ongoing attack by the Mayor and other city officials against every member of their local. Boston Firefighters Local 718 IAFF is asking all outside departments not to participate in uniform at this year’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston.
Fort Totten/ Building 405 (CFRD) on Thursday, April 24, 2008, 10:00am-1:00pm. Specific information about this College Fair for both active and retired FDNY members and their families may be found in upcoming Department Orders or by contacting Ms. MaryElizabeth Rohan at 718-281-8464 or e-mail at rohanm@fdny.nyc.gov.
The UFOA and UFA sponsored the second annual “$1 per man per meal week” to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This event was held the week of January 27-February 2 in every firehouse, Bureau of Training, Ft. Totten, Headquarters, UFOA and UFA offices. We appreciate all those members and companies that contributed. MDA has received checks totaling $16,000, as of 2/28/08. If you have not mailed in your check, please do so immediately.
Filing for the promotion exam for Battalion Chief (8511) will start on April 2, 2008. Filing for the promotion exam for Captain (8510) will begin on June 4, 2008. Please go to the DCAS website for further information and an application: www.nyc.gov/dcas.
Bravest Scholarship Fundraiser
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Avenue, Bklyn. Four bands will be featured beginning at 7:30pm. Admission is $12. Flyers are attached. For further information, please call BC George Belnavis at 212-293-9300.
Sunday, March 16, 2008 at the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance, Keyspan Park, 1904 Surf Avenue, Bklyn. People of all faiths and departments are welcome to attend. If weather is cold or rainy, it will be held at Our Lady of Solace Shrine RC Church, Mermaid Ave & W. 17th St. For further information, contact FM Bob Cashman at 718-999-0740.
Sunday, April 6th at 1:00pm at Nassau Coliseum. For further information, www.FDNYHockey.com. Tickets are $18.00 general admission and are available through Ticketmaster, team members and the Coliseum box office.
Overtime Average
as of February 23,2008
Lieutenant Hours Captain Hours SOC 208 SOC 183 Div 1 154 Div 1 134 Div 3 163 Div 3 147 Div 6 102 Div 6 211 Div 7 116 Div 7 138 Div 8 206 Div 8 247 Div 11 165 Div 11 190 Div 13 118 Div 13 140 Div 14 179 Div 14 193 Div 15 127 Div 15 134 AVERAGE 154 AVERAGE 172
Uniform Vacancy Report
(Effective March 10, 2008)
Lieutenant SFM Captain Battalion Chief Deputy Chief DAC AC Asst. Ch. FM Chief Fire Marshal
VSF Action -The Appellate Division ruled for us, affirming the lower court’s order granting us summary judgment dismissing the Complaint. Plaintiffs then moved in the Appellate Division for permission to reargue or to appeal to the Court of Appeals and that motion was denied. Plaintiffs next moved for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeals. We opposed the motion and the Court of Appeals denied the appeal. Plaintiffs have submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States requesting that it review the lower court decisions.
Benson Litigation -With the UFA, we challenged the refusal of the Fire Department to process the retirement of a Firefighter whose retirement application was acted upon by the Board of Trustees. The Supreme Court ruled for us, directing the City to process the retirement of Firefighter Benson. The City appealed to the Appellate Division and the parties have now reached a settlement upholding the Pension Board’s determination to retire Firefighter Benson.
AFID-We have joined with the UFA as co-petitioners in an improper practice petition challenging the City’s unilateral increase in the number of AFIDs conducted in a week.
Off-Chart Assignment Arbitration-The hearing concluded on April 13. Briefs were submitted on May 18. We are awaiting a decision. The Arbitrator has suggested that the parties consider settlement and we are currently awaiting a settlement proposal from the City.
Comp Time Arbitration-Now that the CEA contract has been ratified, we will be meeting with the City’s Office of Labor Relations in an effort to agree on a fair way to obtain payment for accrued compensatory time.
Division 1 Conference IP-We have filed an improper practice petition challenging the Department’s refusal to allow UFOA representatives access to the Division 1 Conference. The City has answered, and we have submitted a reply. The parties are now proceeding to mediation.
Light Duty Policy- We have filed an improper practice petition with the Board of Collective Bargaining, challenging the unilateral change in scheduling of Light Duty Personnel to a five-day work week. The number of appearances is a mandatory item of negotiation, but the Fire Department has asserted that they always could and always have scheduled Light Duty Members on five day schedules. OCB denied our request for injunctive relief. We are awaiting a decision on the IP.
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