Mainline - San Francisco Firefighters Local 798

From the Directors
Letter From the director
Stephen Giacalone
Brothers and Sisters,
It’s springtime! The sun is shining, the
flowers are starting to bloom and our
nemesis chief public defender Jeff Adachi
is at it again! So…on that note…
PENSION & BUDGET
As everyone is aware, “pension reform”
has become the new buzz word, not just
here in the City but nationwide. The general
public, the private sector employers
and employees and especially politicians
are having a great time scapegoating and
demonizing public sector employees and
labor unions as the cause for the financial
woes of their cities, states and the country.
We all know the efforts of the governor
and legislature of the State of Wisconsin
to “break” the union and be advised,
these efforts are being discussed in states
such as Ohio, Michigan and others.
It is unfortunate that these people either
do not realize or for that matter care, that
many of the protections (i.e., OSHA) and
benefits (40 hour workweek, minimum
wage, healthcare, etc.) that ALL workers
enjoy were and are through the hard work
and sacrifices of organized labor. Now,
that said, the sentiment in the general
public is, “you have, I don’t, so screw you!
It’s YOUR fault that I am in this situation!”
Those feelings are going to be difficult to
overcome. It is in this vein that we have
been working with The Hellman Group
since last November to come up with a
sensible and reasonable solution to this
“pension” issue. It is no secret that Jeff
Adachi has submitted his “proposals” to
the Department of Elections. That’s easy
for him; no matter what he says, he is going
to sound like a fiscal savior/guru. We,
on the other hand, are more pragmatic.
Assuring that our retirement benefits are
maintained while still assisting the City is
the goal.
The City has been relatively quiet on matters
of the budget. The projected deficit
is still in the $360 million range.
Just FYI, the Board of Supervisors voted
to pull money from the $25 million reserve
and put $1.3 million in the election
fund. Also, Supervisor Avalos wants to
repeal the non-resident admission fee
to the Strybing Arboretum which generated
$356k in less than a full year, and use
general fund money! So, you can see the
mentality we face! More to follow on the
budget.
EMS
Congratulations to the 12 brand-new H3
Level I EMTs who have joined our ranks.
And congratulations to the 18 new Level
II paramedics who have moved up from
within! The legislative process for the
“Exclusive Operating Area (EOA)” is moving
along, albeit slowly. Also, be advised,
any H3 – Level III with outstanding or
open First Responder PCRs in HRMS need
to be completed! These are to be completed
for every medical call and completed
before the end of your watch. This
helps generate revenue and justifies continued
staffing of ALS engine companies!
CAROLYN CHAMPAGNE
There are additional articles in this issue
about the untimely passing of Carolyn, so
I won’t be too long winded. Carolyn was
a tremendous asset to this Department
and to the many members she helped!
She was a friend to many people and her
presence and personality will surely be
missed! An account has been created at
the credit union for her two daughters, so
please think about helping out!
CONCLUSION
Remember to attend Union meetings and
check out the website for information on
upcoming events. And as always, we are
available to answer any questions members
may have.
Take care and be safe.
Stephen Giacalone
California Theatre August 2, 1936
10 Main Line www.sffdlocal798.org