Brothers and Sisters,

I will use this month’s Presidents Message to help further our members understanding of what is happening around our union and department from an administrative perspective. Our department and union are in a continual evolutionary process as are most others. Our situation is quickly becoming some what unique in that we are attempting to round a corner, become a consolidated EMS and Fire service, that most counties started many years ago because of proactive planning. Putnam County to my knowledge attempted this once before in 2003.  

The BOCC solicited a study into how they could improve emergency services for the citizens and be better prepared for the future. The information within the report pointed out some things we were doing right and some that needed to be improved. I have heard many opinions about this and other attempts by our department to “turn the corner” and come together as one. I don’t claim to know all of the answers; I do however believe in our people and their desire to create an environment that is safe and effective for our staff and the citizens we serve. The following paragraphs try to help explain some of the thinking behind the contract negotiations this year.  

Uniforms: This topic seems to rear up every few months, stay for a week or two then go away. I have asked to have both sides agree to open this article so that we can put to rest this nagging issue and create a service with a uniform and professional image.   

The contract gives some direction as to how we conduct ourselves; but many parts of the article, as with many parts of our entire contract, are not specific enough to hold each side firm. Some of our present uniforms are dictated in Article 18, one was established in an agreement between Jason Liska and Chief Patterson, the light blue uniform shirt, and still another, the dark blue uniform shirt, has been established by staff asking and receiving permission to do so. This does not include the Firefighters grey shirts or the polo shirts. On any given day we have as many uniform combinations as we have crew members. I grew up in a service wearing light blue and enjoyed it; but I did not enjoy because it was light blue, but because we were all dressed alike and when we went into a home on an EMS or fire call we all looked professional.  As an individual I don’t care if we wear light blue or dark blue, but I do believe we all need to all wear the same uniform.  

Public perception and our sense of belonging to a single unit are imperative as we move forward. Citizens need to see us as one cohesive group, because their first impression is what counts. Some folks may see the proposed article as too restrictive, others may like that we will be held to a higher standard. Which ever opinion an individual holds, the only intent of this article is to fix what has been broken for quite some time, and quite frankly one of the articles that can have a significant impact on our public relations.

Insurance:  It’s no secret that everyone in America is concerned about healthcare and healthcare costs. My wife and I were watching President Obama speak the other night at a town hall meeting in Colorado; the topic was healthcare reform. There are as many sides to this discussion as there are discussions. When it was decided to open this article this year we realized that it to would spark debate. Debate is good. It opens communications between us and administration and ensures that they conduct business in a manner consistent with established norms. When we were told last year of our policy changes many employees and department heads around the county were very disturbed about the increases in premiums and Calendar Year Deductibles. HR started getting “input” from many sources, including emergency services asking about the process and what could be done to protect and/or improve what we have.   

Ken McClinton, Rob Hane and I met on two occasions to discuss the process that they go through to obtain quotes and coverages. He explained the various factors that the companies use to determine our premiums. They include claims history, employee demographics, past medical concerns, etc.  This year they sent our proposal for bid to over 10 companies and received only three proposals back. From those three it was determined that staying with Blue Cross was the best option. I sat in the final round table meeting with Nancy Harris about a month ago. Although we have no voting rights at that table they did allow all staffers in attendance to join in the discussions. As did many others I expressed our concerns about the rising costs and and the benefits we receive for those dollars spent.  Many ideas were discussed on how we could work this year to lower our cost for next year. One idea that came out was an employee health and fitness program that could be monitored by the insurance carrier. That way they could get a better picture of our staff. Overall I was impressed with the questions Nancy and the others posed to Ken and his staff about the procedures and results of our insurance shopping.  

Our present insurance article has no provisions for a voice at the “insurance table”. The proposed article contains a provision allowing us to have a final vote on insurance.   The proposed article also contains an "opt out clause". This clause would allow the union to leave the insurance that is offered by the county with a minimum 30 day notice.  The union would have to establish and provide insurance on its own to the members of the union.  This is no small under taking and would take much research to ensure that we do what is best for everyone involved.   Along with other benefits due to our staff both from a statutory perspective and from a county initiated process.  Please read the article and compare it to what is presently in place. As a group we need to form an independent group to start looking at other options. Please contact Rob Hane if you would like to help with this important matter. I have also sent the proposed insurance article for everyone to review.  

Wages: The hot topic! I’m sure by now we have all read or heard stories about unions and departments forgoing financial incentives this year. Many are doing this to help offset costs so that they can help avoid station closures, layoffs, etc. We presently run at bare bones staffing levels, so I don’t believe layoffs are in our future but we have seen the county’s increased use of PRN staff to help what they believe are financial shortfalls. I have sat with Mr. Leary, Chief Patterson and Chief Romay on separate occasions to discuss the financial outlook of our county. I have expressed the importance of preplanning and the need for a 1-5 year Departmental Plan. This type of plan should include employee compensation provisions.  

Included in the proposed article is the framework for a step plan and incentives for certifications obtained. If this can be secured it will signal that the administration  acknowledges the benefit of a self motivated, educated, long term work force. From an employee stand point I consider that to be big.  From a union perspective it shows that we are turning a corner in labor and management relations. I have in my notes many talking points to bring to the bargaining table, they include proposals on the limiting of PRN usage so that more OT is available to the full time staff and the creation of an annual or semi annual promotional exam so that we can set in motion a foundation for future departmental growth.  

Also in my notes are comp time proposals. Let me start by clearing up any false information that you may have heard. We did not initiate any comp time talks. The county at the first officer’s session opened the topic. We were prepared to talk about it because we have to be prepared.  Currently we are able to accrue comp time after our regular 40 hours. This is an awesome benefit and we have no intention of just letting it go. We realize that many members use this time for school and other items that benefit them and the county. Those points will be brought to the administrations attention during negotiations. I’m sure that during the non officer’s negotiations the county  will bring it up again. We must be ready to talk about it as it affects our members and the remainder of our contract desires.  

Another topic that seems to be talked about as of late is the possibility of the county implementing The Federal 7K Exemption (56 hour work week) status on our members.  While I don’t claim to know all that there is to know about this procedure. I have tried to educate myself on the topic and I have contacted Paul Donnelly’s office, our union lawyer, and he reinforced the fact that anything of this nature is subject to mandatory bargaining.  Also, I recently met with Richard Bennet the president of Flagler County’s Local and his Chief and we discussed this topic. They are presently on a 40 hour work week and have been for about 9 years since Flagler County consolidated EMS and fire services. They are working on a work and pay schedule that would actually benefit the county and the union members. A win win scenario. Are we at that point? I don’t think so, but let’s not forget that our fulltime firefighters are already on a 7K schedule. We’re trying to help get ahead of any curves that may be coming our way. The worse thing we could do is to ignore this or any other potential changes that could affect us financially.  

As of the writing of this message I’m presently reviewing all of the feedback from the proposed wage article and will be resending it out shortly.

In Closing: This past week I sat in on the officers meeting, as I have in the past, and a couple of the discussions stand out. Some of topics that we weighed in on are training, safety and consistent guidelines for Fire and EMS staff. Some of the initiatives that are presently being brought forth within our department have been started by the union, some by administration and some by a combination of the two sides. All have one intention in mind, and that is to make a stronger and more responsive service for our staff and our public.  On many occasions we have met with members of the BOCC and administration to express our concerns about the direction the county has chosen for the delivery of emergency services. Some recent events throughout the county have served to reinforce our beliefs that have been previously presented to the BOCC. It is not the intent of this union to eliminate volunteer staff; it is the intent to help stop the waste and potential liabilities created by not having one unified system with checks and balances built in and provide the best service possible for the people we serve. When we can get there, the financial and professional rewards can and will be available for all of us. As I have stated many times in the past, get involved. Get involved in the incipient stages of projects so that we can turn out the best “product” possible. I appreciate your continued support and please call or email me as needed.  

Be Safe,
Dwight