Uniformed Firefighters' Association of Greater New York - FDNY

I am happy to announce that on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, the UFA and the City came to a tentative collective bargaining agreement for the reopener clause for the 2004-06 period and for the 2008-2010 contract.

I want to thank our Executive Board and labor attorney Mike Axelrod for their help and assistance in negotiating this agreement. The Executive Board voted unanimously in favor of the agreement and and recommends approval. The Battalion Advisory Committee, on October 16th, voted on the proposed agreement: 50 "yes" and 1 "abstention."

The details of the agreement are as follows:

2004-06 Contract Reopener: The basic maximum salary has been increased 3.48% retroactively effective to July 31, 2006 (ie. 1st grade).
Length of 2008-10 Contract 24 months.
4% base salary increase for all grades, retroactively effective August 1, 2008.
4% (compounded is 4.16%) base salary increase for all grades, effective August 1, 2009.
$253 annual Longevity increase for 5, 10, 15, and 20-year steps, effective July 31, 2010.
Longevity Escalator - Automatic Increases & Compounding of existing longevity. It will increase and compound with all future base salary increases, effective July 31, 2010.

Ratification Process & Timeline

Complete copies of the Memorandum of Agreement and all attachments were mailed on October 15th to Delegates. The following meetings and actions will take place in accordance with UFA Constitution requirements: October 23rd- Details of the tentative contract will be discussed with all Delegates at a Special Delegate Meeting at 10:00 am at the JFK Ramada.

November 20th- A roll call vote of the Delegates will be conducted at a Special Delegate Meeting at 10:00 am. The General Membership Meeting will immediately follow.

December 1st- If approved by a majority of the Delegates at the November 20th meeting, ballots will be mailed by the American Arbitration Association. (AAA) on December 1st, to all members for a contract ratification vote. Complete copies of the Memorandum of Agreement and attachments will be mailed to all members five (5) days prior to the ballot mailing.

December 11th- Ballot count by AAA and announcement of results via 65-2 fax and Web posting.

Deutsche Bank Anniversary

August 18th was the first anniversary of the tragic seven-alarm high-rise fire at the former Deutsche Bank that claimed the lives of Firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino. Plaques honoring the two firefighters were dedicated at Engine Company 24/Ladder Company 5 in Manhattan.

Leading up to first anniversary of the tragic Deutsche Bank Fire, the UFA spent much time conducting an extensive review of many of the FDNY fire fatalities in the past 15 years. A common theme has emerged: traditional FDNY aggressive interior attack coupled with water problems. In a letter dated August 12, 2008, a detailed proposal was sent to Commissioner Scoppetta and I asked him to make a simple change in communication that I believe will enhance the safety of firefighters and fire officers operating on the fire ground.

I recognize that it is difficult for the incident commander to keep track of time as he attends to his responsibilities on the fire ground. Therefore, I requested that the dispatcher be required to call the incident commander every five minutes requesting a water status update until an attack on the fire has begun. Once prompted, the incident commander would then update by handie-talkie all members operating on the fire ground about the status of fire conditions, ie., "Five minutes no water," "Five minutes no water should have it momentarily," "____ minutes no water hydrant problems," "No water we are having difficulty finding the fire."

This critical piece of information would alert firefighters who are operating in either dangerous or potentially dangerous areas of the water status at a particular point in time. It would also provide firefighters with a timeline of how long they have been operating on the fire ground, something they currently lack. Firefighters do not have a clock available to them. It is impossible for firefighters to know exactly how long they have been operating in the fire building.

Notification by the incident commander of the water status to all units on the scene will allow firefighters to determine if conditions are deteriorating, if it is necessary to seek a safer location or withdraw completely and, it will also give firefighters an accurate measure of how long they have been operating on the fire ground.

Again, this simple change in communication is a critical piece of information for firefighters and this proposal will cost the City nothing to implement. I believe that it will make firefighting safer for all New York City firefighters.

The UFOA has reviewed our proposal and supports it with some minor adjustments. We now wait for Commissioner Scoppetta and his staff to act in a fashion that is in the best interest of all firefighters.

September 11th was the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. To commemorate these tragic events, firefighters throughout the city remembered our 343 fallen brothers in many personal ways. Thousands were in attendance at the Firefighters Memorial Monument in Riverside Park where members of Battalion 18 once again hosted its annual memorial service. Many firefighters, families, and friends were also drawn to Ground Zero.

Firehouses that had suffered losses also conducted memorials and remembrance ceremonies.

FDNY Memorial Day

FDNY Memorial Day was observed on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at the Firefighter's Memorial Monument on Riverside Park. Lt. John Martinson of Engine 249, who died in the line of duty on January 3, 2008, was honored. Tribute was also paid to the following members who died in the last year: