Unionize The Plantation Fire Department

The Plantation Fire Department only pays their firefighters $6 per call as of the year 2012. The majority of the time there would only be around two to four fire calls per day----sometimes NONE! And worse than that, we were compensated only four times a year. I think I made around $4,000 in less than 3.5 years. Not worth risking your life. The city designed this plan to save millions of dollars.

Shortly after I filed a discrimination charge with the Plantation Fire Department, I was put on "Freeze" by Chief of training: Heidi Cole. I figured what a wonderful time to start a union. Actually, I should've filed suit for retaliation. But, I was more interested in the benefit of the members at the fire department rather than just thinking of myself. Seems that everyone is afraid to step up at this fire department. I'm not, and Chief Harris knows it.

Jeffrey Poole, 43, was fired in December of 2005. He was only a month or two away from his pension vestment. "The real reason (for the termination) is they want to break up the union and they want to get rid of me," said Poole. "That was obviously their goal since we formed the union."

I never met this man (Poole), but I wish I did. Even though I quit the fire department, I don't see why I can't still try to form a union there. See how this department treats its people? I remember on September 9th, 2011 when Randy Pettitt said, "The fire department has done everything for you and you have done nothing for the fire department." I was so happy to file the discrimination charge against the entire fire department because of him. I don't tolerate Randy's threats, or his abusive behavior. I did the right thing and just because I quit does not mean that charge quits. I'm sure that Chief Harris feels relief, but you still have a dicrimination charge filed against your department because of Randy Pettitt.

But, anyway, getting back to the union----it's simple. Contact a guy by the name of Larry Osborne at 904-219-8656. He's very busy, but he will help you get the show on the road. If you can't get a hold of him keep looking around and don't give up.

If there was a union, I'd still be there at the Plantation Fire Department. When I attended the meeting on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at Station Two (Headquarters) there would be a union representative telling me to, or not to answer Don Todd's, or Heidi Cole's questions. Things would run smoothly, better, most often. You would not have Rudy Gabor asking if you were on something. You would not have Randy Pettitt threaten your certification. These clowns would not get away with what they have been always getting away with at this department. Get a union going!
I saw what Jeffrey Poole saw. I was there and it sucks.

Here's how to do this----it's easy!

First, you have to sign a "union card" (a card that indicates that you would like to form a union at the Plantation Fire Department). If a majority of firefighters sign such a card, the cards are given to a government agency (for most workers, that's the NLRB - The National Labor Relations Board) which then schedules and oversees a secret ballot election to see if the Plantation firefighters really do want a union.

Now, If a majority votes "Yes" then a union is formed, with which the Plantation Fire Department must bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions. Once you get this far, you are kicking ass!

The first step involved is a real bitch, obviously, your decision to organize. You should also have some confidence that at least half of the firefighters at your station would be inclined to join a union----the cowards. If possible, try to form a small committee of firefighters dedicated to the idea, but keep things quiet----Don't say a fucking thing about it. Especially, to someone like Randy Pettitt (the captain at Station One). The longer it takes the Plantation Fire Department to find out about the unionization attempt, the better.

Next, you must decide what union you wish to approach, if any. A good place to get phone numbers for unions is under "labor organizations" in the yellow pages or online.

Once you have chosen a union, you need to determine what you want the "bargaining unit" to be. That is, who at your fire department will be able to be in the union and who will not. You should include firefighters that have common duties, interests and think alike.

Once you have decided what you would like the bargaining unit to be, (the "official" bargaining unit will be determined at a National Labor Relations Board hearing.) you will most likely begin having people sign union cards. These "cards" may be actual cards, or simply a petition. The cards or petition will indicate that the person signing the card would like a union to represent him or her in contract talks regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions, and are completely confidential (the Plantation Fire Department never sees them). It is important to get a person's signature and the date on these cards, or they will not be considered valid.

Once 30% of the people in the bargaining unit sign the cards, you are entitled to submit them to the National Labor Relations Board, which views 30% as asufficient number to warrant an election that, if won, will certify the union in the Plantation Fire Department.

Unofficially, you should get as many signatures as you possibly can. To win the election, you need a majority to vote "yes" and it is not unusual for some individuals who signed cards to end up voting "no." A good rule-of-thumb is that if you can't get at least 60% of the firefighters in the bargaining unit to sign cards, you won't win the election.

Once you are ready to submit the cards to the NLRB (which entails handing the cards to an official and filling out a form), you should mail a certified letter to management indicating that you wish the union to be recognized. This is just a
formality, as management will almost always refuse to recognize a union without an election. Once you have submitted the cards, the NLRB will contact the Plantation Fire Department to schedule a hearing to determine the actual bargaining unit, and to schedule the election. At the hearing, the company will most likely try to pack the bargaining unit with firefighters that are likely to vote no, and try to challenge workers that are likely to vote yes. The union's lawyer will most likely handle things at this stage, so don't worry too much about this shit, okay?

Once the bargaining unit is made final, the NLRB will schedule the date of the election. The election is a secret ballot, overseen by an NLRB agent, with the ballot zasking the question, "Do you want the 'whatever union' to represent you in contract talks with 'whatever employer?' " Or something similar. A "yes" vote is for the union, a "no" against. A simple majority wins.

If you win: congratulations! The Plantation Fire Department must enter into contract talks with the union regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions.

If you lose: you must wait at least one year before trying again.

There are other options, of course:

A. One need not rely on the NLRB process to win recognition to bargain for a contract.

B. Firefighters can also try to force The Plantation Volunteer Fire Department
to recognize them as a union through work actions such as strikes. This can be
done even if an election was lost, although if you didn't have the strength to win
the election, you may not have the strength to force recognition. (You can
redefine your bargaining unit to increase your chances. For example, if your unit
included firefighters and staff, and the department staff voted against you in
sufficient numbers to cause you to lose the election, you might try to get just the
department's firefighters, where there is more solidarity, recognized.)

Hey look, I did my part, now it's your turn. It only takes one firefighter to get this thing going. What are you waiting for...$7 a call? And one other thing....Tell Chief Harris to go FUCK himself!