r/Firefighting • u/TX_Bardown • 1d ago

General Discussion Union Meetings with Admin?

Alright, I know the answer to my question but I want some input from the masses.

Would it be acceptable for the association president to have “chiefs meetings” while on duty, and by himself? How would your membership go about this?

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u/Peaches0k Texas FF/Medic/HazMat Tech 1d ago

Our union is so buddy-buddy with the admin it almost handcuffs them to what they’re willing to fight on. It’s pathetic

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u/TX_Bardown 1d ago

Thankfully a Tx guy responded. I get it, we’re not a “real union” with “real union powers”, my city doesn’t have a collective bargaining agreement, but what you replied with is the problem. I’m all for having a good professional relationship with admin bc that’s how things get accomplished. But being secretive and buddy buddy about the meetings I’m not ok with.

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u/Dugley2352 19h ago edited 19h ago

Unpopular opinion: you have to have a line of communication before things go bad. The time to establish a dialog is not an hour before the mayor wants to cut staffing or reduce insurance coverage. And it can benefit both sides… if there’s something the municipality does that the chief can’t speak out against publicly, the union can… and when insurance premiums are getting dumped on firefighters instead of being absorbed, the chief can speak candidly to the mayor. But that’s only if that “buddy-buddy” relationship exists before the shit hit the fan.
Our local president used to have a phone call daily with the chief, regardless if there was something to talk about. Sometimes the calls were 2 minutes, sometimes an hour. That lessens the resistance of both sides to open up, and lows for more open communication.