Free Republic

The Philadelphia Firefighters Union has voted to uphold its endorsement of President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The American Arbitration Association, which represents the Internation Association of Firefighters Local 22, sent out ballots to its members two weeks ago and asked whether the firefighters in the union wanted to repeal the union’s endorsement of President Trump. After the ballots were filled out and returned, the union found that 1,400 of its members wanted to uphold the endorsement, while 782 members wanted to repeal public support for the president.

The Philadelphia Firefighters’ and Paramedics’ Union broke from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and “proudly” endorsed President Trump for re-election, citing the overwhelming support for the president among members. “The Philadelphia Firefighters’ and Paramedics’ Union, Local 22 of the International Association of’ Fire Fighters proudly endorses President Trump for re-election,” the union announced on Tuesday, hours ahead of the first presidential debate. “The members of Local 22 respectfully break with the undemocratic IAFF endorsement of Joe Biden and pledge our full support to President Donald J. Trump,” President Mike Bresnan said in a statement, explaining that IAFF’s endorsement...

Joe Biden officially earned the endorsement of the firefighters union Monday, putting in his corner a powerful organizing force that stayed on the sidelines of the 2016 race. The executive board of the International Association of Firefighters met and voted to ratify its endorsement of the former vice president within hours of his formal entry into the race on Thursday. The union had warmly welcomed Biden to their annual Washington convention last month with signs of “Run, Joe, Run!” General President Harold Schaitberger made the endorsement official in an online video. “Joe’s a lot like our firefighters. He's a problem...

The International Association of Fire Fighters, a politically powerful labor union, has abandoned its initial plans to endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton for U.S. president, the New York Times reported on Friday. Citing union sources, the Times said the Clinton campaign was told on Monday by IAFF President Harold Schaitberger that there was not enough support on the union’s board or its rank-and-file members for an endorsement of the Democratic front-runner.

The public controversy over Racine's 9-11 float might be over, but the fallout within the Racine Fire Department is not. Firefighter Aaron Rodriguez, who writes a conservative blog, told No Quarter this week that he has resigned from the Racine firefighters union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 321, over its handling of a Fourth of July parade float honoring firefighters and cops killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The executive committee of the board voted not to support the float in the Racine parade because it was sponsored by an Oak Creek firefighter who recently quit the union. "That was...

In the upcoming Racine Fourth of July parade, Wisconsin firefighter Matt Gorniak wants to enter his parade float honoring firefighters and cops killed on Sept. 11, 2001. One problem — Gorniak has availed himself of a little-used contract provision that allows him to opt out of membership in the firefighters’ union. Thus, the union has set out to punish him for his transgression, voting to boycott his float. According to Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The same float — a re-enactment of the famous photo of three firefighters raising the American flag amid the rubble of the World...

PROVIDENCE — Two management-level firefighters are back among the union ranks, at their request, an action decried by two City Council members who say it was done to increase their pensions. With the lower rank of first-class firefighter, the near-retirement employees can benefit from the 3-percent compounding cost-of-living-adjustments provided to union members hired before July 1, 2010. They will also receive pension benefits based on their higher, management salaries if they retire now. (Pension benefits are based on the highest of the last three years of service.) “It is quite clear that the voluntary reduction in ranks just granted these...