June 3, 2004

The Legislative Committee for Local 624 consists of Ron Harrell, John Lujan, Wayne DeLanghe, Eddie Guerra, and Moses Johnson. Other members that have been supporting the committee on a voluntary basis include: Jerry Cortes, Andrew Estrada, Roy Casanova, Billy Hacker, and others. The work of this union in the political arena is about to propelled to new heights. Every members support is needed to keep Local 624 as a viable force in the community.

Active-duty firefighter Arthur Villafranca 29T-B passed away on May 29, 2004. Art was one of the most well-liked and well-respected firefighters in this department. He will be missed. The Family Assistance Committee was with the Villafranca family every step of the way. Special thanks to Rick Burrell and Ram Davila for their dedication and commitment to the Villafranca family. I was fortunate enough to visit and share with Art before he passed. May God bless the Villafranca family.

James Gonzales appealed his “indefinite suspension”. The fire chief’s termination of James was reduced to a “6 month suspension” by the hearing examiner. James is a brother firefighter that has a stellar track record as a paramedic in EMS. When you see James, please welcome him back. The citizens of this City will only benefit by being served by James Gonzales.

May 27, 2004

Educational Incentive Pay: The Executive Board of Local 624 will be discussing this issue at the Executive Board meeting on June 1, 2004. Your input is needed! Please attend and have your voice heard. The Grievance Committee has met and discussed this issue and will report its recommendation to the board.

I attended the first meeting of the City's entities that will have input into the selection of the Third Party Administrator for the City’s health insurance. As we all well know, this process is very important to us. This Third Party Administrator (TPA) can have more than a financial impact on our livelihood, it also effects our quality of life. If these issues related to our health care are not corrected soon, it will be more difficult to take action. The health of the firefighters has a direct impact on the safety of the citizens and the service delivery that we strive to provide.
 
The San Antonio Firefighters vs. the Dallas Cowboys. That sounds like fun . . . we will be playing the Dallas Cowboys in a charity softball game! The game will be played on Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at Nelson Wolff Stadium on Highway 90. If you want more information or details, call Rick Burrell at 210.386.8569.

May 21, 2004

The Paramedic Policy Grievance that threatens the termination of all paramedic class personnel is still awaiting a ruling from the judge. This is pertaining to the Temporary Injunction that was filed and the subsequent five-hour hearing. The Grievance Arbitration Hearing is in the step of the procedure for  selection of arbitrators. We intend to fight this policy with everything we have at our disposal.
 
The Educational Incentive Pay issue has been thoroughly discussed by the Grievance Committee. The General Counsel for Local 624, David Van Os, was present at the Grievance Committee meeting. The recommendations of the Grievance Committee will be submitted to the Eexecutive Board meeting on June 1, 2004. Stay tuned for the e-mail announcement. I want to have as much discussion on this issue as possible at that meeting. All members who wish to provide their input to the Executive Board are encouraged to attend and make their opinions known. Also, always call your elected officials and let them know how you wish for them to represent you when an important issue comes up.
 
I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You to the volunteers that assisted me in several of the election day campaigns. We had representatives assisting the Seguin Firefighters in their quest to achieve civil service. We also had representatives assisting Austin Firefighters in their successful bid to achieve collective bargaining. We had representatives assisting the Council Reform Committee. Thanks to all the firefighters for their voluntary assistance. You are what makes this union strong!
 
If you feel that you have been grieved by the fire chief on the education incentive pay issue, please call your Grievance Committee.

May 14, 2004

Well, it happened again. The fire chief is writing policies that are attempting to modify the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This time it is the educational incentive pay. After five years of paying firefighters their educational incentive pay for certain college degrees, the fire chief decided to stop. If you have been grieved (affected), please immediately contact your Grievance Committee. Your union is already investigating this issue and we want your input. The Grievance Committee will make a recommendation to the executive board on how we should respond to this blatant attack. Stay tuned for the Executive Board meeting announcement. Please try to attend. If you can't make it, call or send e-mail to an Executive Board member and voice your opinion.
 
The 2004-2005 Local 624 budget was approved last union meeting. Call your treasurer or trustee if you have questions/concerns.

I have done a whole "slew" of media interviews related to the new radio system. I have received mixed reviews from a lot of firefighters as well as paramedics. I will continue visiting the stations and calling you to solicit your feedback on this issue as well as other fire department issues.

The annual MDA "Fill-the-boot" campaign is underway. The dates that we will be on the street corners and intersections are May 20, May 21, and May 22. Please work hard for this great cause. Your support is appreciated. Call Public Relations Chairman Louis Jimenez 210.710.5541 if you have questions.

May 6, 2004

The annual report for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2003 for the Fire and Police Pension Fund has been completed. If you have any questions about the financial status of your pension, now is the time to ask. Call Mooch EMS Lieutenant at 29A or Don Wagoner at 39B or 210.534.3262.

We had another Pre-Funded Retiree Health Legislative meeting. This meeting was attended by SAPOA President and Assistant to the City Manager Erik Walsh. This was the first time these gentlemen were in attendance. I believe this indicates the urgency of this matter. The Negotiating Committee has a sub-committee made up of Doug Berry, Wally Yates, Gerard Cortes, and Rick Werner who are going to directly address this matter. Call me if you need more information; I will keep you updated on this matter.
 
The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association joint Health and Safety Committee will be meeting to discuss Safety and Health issues. This committee is authorized in the Collective Bargaining Agreement but has not been active for the last few years. This committee is a very important forum to address our concerns with fire administration. Our committee members are Roger Lopez, Jim Reidy, Bruce Moore, Brian Norris, and Jim Campbell. If you want health and safety issues addressed, if you need questions answered, or need more information, please call me at the union hall or any of the committee members.
 
There are still some old, lingering problems with EBA, the current health insurance administrator. Your insurance representative, Debi Burgess, is working hard to resolve these old problems while at the same time servicing new claims. We just assisted a firefighter-member of Local 624 in receiving payment on an old claim in excess of $25,000. We are going through the claims that are the oldest and have the highest amount of money involved, and attempting to resolve these claims first. Please call Debi for assistance on your outstanding claims on the medical services direct line 210.699.3971. This phone line is dedicated to assist you, the members of Local 624.

Speaking of EBA, the City of San Antonio is looking for a new health insurance administrator. The City is requesting bids from health services administrators. There will be meetings that I will attend as well as Debi Burgess and other committee members, to provide our input on the selection of a TPA. This process is very important to the members of Local 624 and this will be one of my priorities. I will keep you informed.

I recently met with the fire chief and the personnel chief to discuss and witness the random drug testing process. The owner of A&D Testing in Waco, Texas (Judy) showed Oscar Linares and myself the entire process for drug testing. Quest Diagnostics in Irving, Texas is the lab. Members tested would hear from Dr. Baber in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Certified Medical Review Officer (MRO), within three to five days if there is a question. If you are tested be advised that "no news is good news". You would hear from him within three to five days. There were some issues that needed addressing such as the face-to-face requirement when talking to the MRO. The Local 624 member must request this face-to-face interview, otherwise, the MRO will call you with your (positive) test results by phone. There is a Web site from the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association that provides information on drug testing at www.datia.org. Click on the link below:

The software used to create the randomness is called DrugPak Software Suite by Scanlon Associates. For more information, or to sign up for Scanlon's industry newsletter, see www.drugpak.com by clicking on the link below: