President’s Message

One fire at a time…

It was the second of back-to-back meetings, and the atmosphere was tense and downright angry. Last night ended with a fistfight in the parking lot. Before January 1998, the Toronto Firefighters Associations consisted of six individual Locals, all with separate contracts, wages, and benefits. Amalgamation forced this group together, but it would be many years before they would become a unified membership.

The struggles were frequent and often involved passionate beliefs. The newly formed Executive Board of 24 were challenged daily to find common ground within their ranks, divided by geographical and fundamental differences. Each member holding strong convictions that their former City or Local did it better. The key issues focused on promotional systems, vacation/lieu day selection and shift schedule. Videos were produced by the former Local leaders, educating the membership, and selling them on why their system was better.

Additionally, a decision rendered by the Labour Board took Platoon Chiefs out of the Union, creating more hatred and an imbalance of power at the management level. Firefighters in every division reported to work, earning different amounts of money, doing the same job at the same calls or workplaces. We were never more divided.

Several years of negotiations and eventually arbitration, known as “the Teplitski years,” would provide the foundation of today’s collective agreement framework.

Jimmy raised his voice, and the crowd found their seats. It was time to roll up our sleeves.

“One fire at a time”... President Lee

Rain fell hard on the assembly of Police, Fire and EMS gathering to march down the narrow streets of New York. A fitting backdrop, considering the day’s events were to honour the lost souls of 9/11. Emergency workers travelled from all parts of North America to offer support to their sisters and brothers. Fittingly, the TPFFA was well represented. Three hundred and fifty of our members journeyed by bus to the Big Apple to pay their respects.

Months of labour disputes over a collective agreement, held up by an arbitrator, and threats of job action, created tension in the ranks of Toronto Firefighters. In addition, the mid-term departure of TPFFA’s first President to the IAFF, added fuel to the already burning fires. Two opposing leaders stood on either side of a flank, assuming the lead of six. TPFFA President and the “want to be” Fire Chief, neither willing to step back as the sergeant at arms barked, “form up in groups of five across.” The streets were narrow, and the requests of a line of five firefighters would be a tight squeeze, but a formation of six would be impossible.

As the march began, it was inevitable that one side would have to give in and drop back. But, as the procession rounded the corner, both leaders held firm, forcing the middle to break, and the sea of firefighters fell like dominos one by one to the end of the line. At the end of the day, both men claimed victory.

Before his term ended, Greg would push and receive the long-awaited arbitration award, and the Chief never got his stripes.

“One fire at a time”... President Colton

The newly appointed Fire Chief stood before the Toronto City Council prepared to present his semi-annual report to the Chief Administrative Officer. “The quest for respect,” a union initiative, influenced the Council’s decision on the Fire Chief’s appointment. Twice a year, the Fire Chief was required to report on the state of labour relations, including a report from the President of TPFFA, to provide the Union’s perspective. Local 3888 was about to begin a new chapter, full of concrete political action and finding common ground.

A log jam of grievances was the first barrier that stood in the way of progress. Building trust, working through the differences, and finding the solutions both sides could live with, was how it would get done. It started with meetings, followed by breakout sessions. Still, in the end, a retreat initiated by an independent consultant to a literal “compound” up north, forced the two sides to listen. The “KUMBAYA” weekend was often joked about but contributed to bridging the gap between management and labour.

Scott universalized the 24-hour shift and 3-6-9, bringing respect back to labour relations.

“One fire at a time”... President Marks

Many tears fell that day. Few people can lead and command respect, while at the same time, treating everyone with dignity. Either side of the laneway outside of the funeral home was lined with women and men in uniform. Inside, the limited few paid their respects, following the directives set out by the Covid-19 protocols. Unfortunately, this added stress to the family, friends and colleagues grieving that day. Then, the third tier of firefighters stretched across the busy Scarborough street beyond the gates, providing the much-deserved final send-off. Unfortunately, it happened too fast to someone too young, who gave so much to the membership.

The mayor at the time was pushing a “no more gravy” campaign, threatening to strip all services in the City of Toronto to unbearable levels. The TPFFA, always ready for a fight when the health and safety of their members were on the line, responded with an uppercut called the “fightback campaign.” The next six months consisted of ten full rounds of shots back and forth: including radio ads and television spots, graphically displaying the impact of delayed responses to emergencies. The climax, a sea of red, consisting of hundreds of Firefighters in t-shirts filling the chambers of City Hall. That day, Local 3888 took some losses, but it would have been worse if we did not defend what we had already worked so hard to achieve.

Before his term was over, Eddy started the TPFFA down a path to purchase the new union office, led us through a complex arbitration, securing post-65 benefits and fortified relationships with the IAFF and the OPFFA. Continued on page 6

“One fire at a time”... President Kennedy

Another late night at the Sheridan with the bargaining team in beautiful downtown Toronto was in full swing. Tempers were hot, and considering the series of late nights and the high-stakes games, the tension was about to peak. The man in charge thrived in situations like these, holding all his cards until the last moment. It was time to “put up or shut up”, and he needed to convince the 12 angry men before him that this was worth putting their name to it. Still in their clothes from the night before, no one was in any mood to play games. Agreements littered every inch of the surface, filling five full-size tables, eventually forming the first-ever freely negotiated contract before expiration of the current one, in the history of local 3888. In another room in the hotel, people from the City’s bargaining team scoured through the same documents, experiencing the immense pressure of signing their “John Hancock” and making it official. The membership would ratify a five-year Collective Agreement days later, setting a course for many years of stability.

Frank started Fire Watch and was the longest-standing Principal Officer who served the membership for eighteen and a half years; six and a half years as President. His willingness to make a deal was evident in the ATI agreement, promotional policy, and transfer language, but nothing was more challenging than the week at the Sheridan.

“One fire at a time”... President Ramagnano

The global issues continuing to dictate the path, a new policy forced on the workforce, and the unrest in the membership grew to an all-time high, triggering only the second special membership meeting in the history of Local 3888. As I signed out of the online broadcast, the tug of war continued in my mind. Members, colleagues, and friends had weighed in on their beliefs and fears from entirely different ends of the spectrum. The newly elected Executive Board had already honoured two active members with Line of Duty Death celebrations and recognition. In addition, we finally secured call-backs in operations; with up to 30 trucks out of service, the need to address staffing was a necessity. It was a historical victory, yet somehow it created more division between Captains and Firefighters over entitlement to overtime opportunities. The political arena was more cutthroat than ever. Any quote or comment would be followed by a public opinion bashing. Yet, walking the tightrope, Local 3888 managed to convince the mayor to endorse a report by the Fire Chief to increase operational staffing complement by 156 over the next few years, investing in post-traumatic stress injury initiatives, and commit to regular replacement of apparatus. In less than three months, the succession planning had begun; it was time for all to learn from those who came before us.

As Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

Together we have accomplished so much and together we will accomplish even more.

“One fire at a time”... President McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy, President Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888

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