January 17, 2022 – Online vote for Motion 22-1: Motion to approve an active AFA membership dues assessment starts January 18, 2022 at 8 AM and ends on January 20, 2022 at 5 PM.

Motion 22-1: Motion to approve an active AFA member dues assessment, with the following conditions:

• The dues assessment amount of S10.90 additional per pay period for up to 10 pay periods, likely starting on February 18, 2022.
• The additional dues assessment will be collected by the AFA, but only spent if binding arbitration costs exceed estimated costs present in the AFA FY22 budget.
• The dollar amounts the AFA has budgeted for negotiations & binding arbitration is a strategic number and therefore confidential.
• The elected AFA trustees will be made aware of the confidential binding arbitration budgeted number and the AFA Trustees will review the binding arbitration expenditures, determine if the cost of binding arbitration exceeds the AFA estimate of the cost for binding arbitration, and then report this to the membership.
• After the conclusion of negotiations and binding arbitration, all expenditures will be released to the membership.
• All additional dues assessment amounts not spent, will be returned to the AFA membership by way of reduced AFA dues assessment in the future, as soon as possible and within 2022.

Motion Maker: AFA Executive Board

Vote is only for Active Members (does not include retirees or probationary firefighters).

January 6, 2022 – Need Your Help on This One

New Benefit of Parental and Maternity Leave for Austin Firefighters, Police and EMS.

What we need from you?

• As a citizen, contact the City Manager and tell him you support Maternity and Parental Leave for ALL Public Safety Departments. Spencer Cronk’s # is (512) 974-2200
• Ask your friends and family to do the same
• Share the AFA Facebook Post on Maternity and Parental Leave. www.facebook.com/AustinFirefightersAssociation

What are the details of these new benefits?
The Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) is assisting the mother-friendly workgroup in obtaining Maternity and Family or Parental Leave for ALL public safety employees. The City Council has been very supportive and unanimously passed a resolution on December 9^th directing City Manager Cronk to deliver a plan within 30 days to implement both types of leave.

The City Council was very clear with the City Manager that these types of leave should NOT be a bargaining issue and should occur outside the labor agreement, and the AFA could not agree more.  Click here for Council Resolution.

ALTHOUGH THE CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED THE RESOLUTION, DUE TO A LIMITATION IN THE CITY CHARTER, ONLY THE CITY MANAGER CAN APPROVE THIS LEAVE PROGRAM. That being said, the City Manager has previously expressed that he intends to have us bargain for this benefit.
Here is what’s at stake:

• Parental Leave: Currently granted to ALL City of Austin Employees (including our own AFD civilian counterparts) EXCEPT for Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS Medics. This type of leave provides up to 6 weeks of PAID LEAVE for City of Austin Employees for adoption, foster care placement or the birth of a child.
• Maternity Leave: The proposed Maternity or Pregnancy Leave is for public safety workers to use when recovering from childbirth. This leave would allow these public safety workers the time needed to physically recover from childbirth and to return to the state of conditioning needed to perform at the highest physical level required for Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS Medics.

To help persuade the City Manager to come back with a plan outside the labor agreement, the AFA is leading an effort which includes:

• A persuasion video that was created by the IAFF (click here for video), which features all three Austin Public Safety Labor Associations. This video is a “call to action”, asking citizens to call the City Manager and ask him to support both Parental and Maternity Leave.
• A website with more information on the program: www.austinsafetyfirst.org
• Firefighter (and maybe Police and EMS) phone bank. This is where we need your help! This can be as simple as you and your immediate family members calling the City Manager and asking him to support Parental and Maternity Leave for ALL Public Safety Departments.  We encourage each of you to call the City Manager and also to urge three family or friends to do the same.  These calls make a huge impact to demonstrate to the City Manager that this is an issue that is important to our membership and to our community.

The City manager has requested an extension from City Council beyond the 30 days specified in the December 9^th resolution. This extension will likely be granted so we need to start the effort soon and sustain it until the date of the extension deadline.

What do we need from you?  Right now we are just sharing information about this effort and how you can help.  We will be in touch again very soon with suggested talking points that can be shared with family and friends as well as a timeline for getting your calls done.

Thank you for helping to make AFD a great place for families to work!

Bob Nicks

December 17, 2021 – AFA Active Member Dues Assessment Announcement – Online Vote Begins January 18^th –

Motion for Contingency Binding Arbitration Dues Assessment (see Motion Language Below)

Summary:
Request for an AFA membership dues assessment needed to cover unanticipated expenses above and beyond what has been estimated for binding arbitration. IF approved, this assessment would:

• The AFA surveyed the AFA membership to determine which method of assessment was most desirable. See survey results by clicking here.
• Deduct $10.90 additionally for up to 10 pay periods, starting February 18^th.
• This assessment would only be spent IF the cost of binding arbitration exceeds the AFA estimate of the cost for binding arbitration. It is unlikely that we would exceed our estimate, BUT it is important that we have a contingency plan in place in case we experience significant cost overruns.
• The dollar amounts the AFA has budgeted for negotiations & binding arbitration is a strategic number and therefore confidential.
• The elected AFA trustees will be made aware of the confidential binding arbitration budgeted number and the AFA Trustees will review the binding arbitration expenditures, determine if the cost of binding arbitration exceeds the AFA estimate of the cost for binding arbitration and then report this to the membership.
• If binding arbitration costs stay within the budgeted amount, the additional dues assessment monies collected would be returned to the membership by reducing your future AFA dues deduction to zero or a factional amount until the assessment is reimbursed.
• This additional dues assessment would only apply to Active, not Retired AFA members and only Active AFA members will be allowed to vote on the additional dues assessment motion.

Background:

• If a fair deal is not reached at the bargaining table between labor and management, impasse will be declared, and the remaining issues can be resolved through the process of binding arbitration.
• Binding arbitration is a very expensive prospect which will require a large amount of money to cover the needed expert reports, expert witnesses, negotiators, arbitrators, and other legal counsel sequestered in Austin during the binding arbitration proceedings.
• In the Fall of 2022, at least half of the current Austin City Council Members will be “termed out”, including the Mayor. It will be a high priority to seat new City Council members who are favorable to firefighter issues. Again, a very expensive prospect.
• The AFA spent over $425,000 on the 2021 Spring binding arbitration campaign. Spending this amount was achieved within budget and without asking for an assessment from the membership BUT it did lower SPAC and Legal Defense savings accounts. Binding arbitration is funded out of the Legal Defense fund.
• The AFA has included into the AFA FY22 proposed budget, the amount estimated to accomplish the funding of both the binding arbitration and Austin City Council Campaign expenses, WITHOUT an assessment from the membership. The AFA Board feels that there is a high likelihood that the AFA can fund both endeavors with funding already identified within the proposed AFA FY22 budget.
• So the proposed assessment would be an insurance policy of sorts, only to be used if binding arbitration costs exceed the budget AFA is proposing to cover binding arbitration expenses.
• As per our AFA Constitution and Bylaws,

“Assessments for Active Members may be made in the following manner. Each Active Member in good standing shall be notified in writing at least thirty (30) days in advance of the date on which the vote for an assessment is to occur. The proposed assessment shall become effective upon a majority vote of the Active Members participating in the vote…”

The “30 day in advanced” requirement necessitates that we seek approval from the membership in advance of the need. Remember, binding arbitration will normally start 30 days after bargaining impasse is declared and the arbitration process will usually last only 10 days. Given this compressed timeframe, it is essential to seek advanced approval for an assessment.

Motion:

Do you approve a dues assessment with the following requirements?

• The dues assessment amount of S10.90 additional per pay period for up to 10 pay periods, likely starting on February 18^th, 2022.
• The additional dues assessment will be collected by the AFA, but only spent if binding arbitration costs exceed estimated costs present in the AFA FY22 budget.
• The dollar amounts the AFA has budgeted for negotiations & binding arbitration is a strategic number and therefore confidential.
• The elected AFA trustees will be made aware of the confidential binding arbitration budgeted number and the AFA Trustees will review the binding arbitration expenditures, determine if the cost of binding arbitration exceeds the AFA estimate of the cost for binding arbitration, and then report this to the membership.
• After the conclusion of negotiations and binding arbitration, all expenditures will be released to the membership.
• All additional dues assessment amounts not spent, will be returned to the AFA membership by way of reduced AFA dues assessment in the future, as soon as possible and within 2022.

Please respond to this email if you have any questions.

Bob  Nicks
President, Austin Firefighters Association
(512) 217-3474