Jumpline magazine January 2024 - Flipbook - Page 4
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William McAllister IV
President
President’s Report
So here I 昀椀nd myself (weeks overdue
authoring this message), re昀氀ecting
upon how this round of contract negotiations started more than a year ago,
recalling the evening when this membership mobilized in large numbers to
demonstrate its dedication to our profession, and I am now listening to how
it may end just down the hall from me
as votes are counted.
A little more than a year ago the contract
negotiations team reconvened. We requested the membership speak up at meetings and via e-mail to assist us in the assembly of what would become this Union’s
contractual demands. You all responded –
you spoke up. You didn’t just speak up for
yourself; you knew your suggestions may
bene昀椀t us all. As the ideas came in, Brian
Lynch, Lisa Bullard, John Kelly, John Lancaster and I got to work, 昀椀ltering the plausible from the impossible and drafting revisions to present at our 昀椀rst session in April.
It quickly became clear that, perhaps not
surprisingly, our membership was suddenly
barely able to make ends meet in this in昀氀ationary environment. We needed wages to
increase quickly. To make matters worse,
a worldwide pandemic became the reason for tens of thousands to unexpectedly
move to South Florida, compounding an increasingly unaffordable housing situation.
Decisions are made by
those members who
educate themselves,
speak out and show up.
Learn all you can.
Speak out.
Show up.
It became obvious this round of negotiations would center upon budgeting. The
most accurate spreadsheet would win the
day. The County was naturally nervous
amid so much uncertainty and so were
we. MDFR never caught up on station construction after the
Great Recession and other stations have fallen into disrepair.
COVID’s migration only exacerbated those challenges, adding traf昀椀c and the need for more suppressions and rescues.
The County was also not immune to these sudden struggles
with the cost of everything going up. To top it off, State legislation, effective January 2025, will dramatically alter the
way County governance has operated for decades. Financial
pressures were, and still are, everywhere. What both sides
lacked was clarity and con昀椀dence.
As our luck would have it, MDFR’s budget guru for decades
retired last year and was willing to help this Union chart a pathway through so many uncertainties. We were suddenly able
to determine with con昀椀dence exactly how much we should
budget for new bene昀椀ts. We were also able to hang exact
price tags on each of our membership’s demands. Reorient-
ing our negotiations approach, grounding it
in budgeting and cost estimates, was critical to reducing anxieties on both sides of
the negotiating table. It was precisely how
we arrived at the tentative deal we have today.
A turning point in the negotiations process occurred on September 21. As the
Union and County worked through the budget details, this membership was asked to
turn out for the Board of County Commissioners’ second budget hearing. And you all
responded – you showed up. You didn’t turn
out for yourself. You knew your presence
would bene昀椀t us all. More than a hundred
members turned out and put on gold shirts,
standing in the main lobby of County Hall. A
point was made about who we are as 昀椀re昀椀ghters, and we arrived at an understanding of our pathway forward.
So now, we are here. Thirty-three days
ago, a tentative agreement was submitted
to the membership for their consideration.
You all spent the past month deliberating its
value. You’ve been asked to vote. From the
stacks of mail in the other room, it’s apparent that you all responded – you cast your vote.
At the other end of the of昀椀ce right now, twelve members
volunteered to tally contract rati昀椀cation votes. As they started to open what looks like a thousand ballots returned, I am
hearing the laughter and lightheartedness carrying on down
the hallway. These active and retired members aren’t being
paid. They just showed up. They are going to eat a few slices
of pizza and share a few hours together. They aren’t here
for themselves; they believe their individual contributions will
bene昀椀t us all. There’s something special about that way of
seeing the world. We need much, much more of that in the
world nowadays.
Decisions are made by those members who educate themselves, speak out and show up. Learn all you can. Speak out.
Show up.
January 2024 | JUMPLINE Magazine