February 15, 2022 – AFA files THC grievance after response from Chief Baker
Brother and Sister Firefighters,
When random drug testing was placed in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2009, the AFA made sure to include the following provision to ensure firefighters were protected when taking medications under a valid prescription:
Section 2.D, page 75 of the 2017 CBA
“A Fire Fighter will not be disciplined for the use of a controlled substance for which the Fire Fighter has a valid prescription, provided the employee is using the controlled substance in compliance with the prescription and Department policy, and is not impaired on duty.”
This language is clear and therefore leaves nothing up to interpretation. Yet, Chief Baker will not commit to following the CBA with regards to valid prescriptions. So after much effort on the AFA’s part to try to solve this seemingly simple problem through discussion, the AFA filed a grievance where we are asking Chief Baker to commit to following the clear language of the CBA.
Click here for AFA Grievance
Click here for Chief Baker Response And by the way, the timeliness issue raised in Baker’s response is faulty. Please attend an upcoming Virtual Station Visit on Zoom for further explanation (every Wednesday at 10:30 AM and Thursday at 1:30 PM).
Below is the AFA’s response to Chief Baker which sends this issue to arbitration.
“02/14/2022
Chief Baker,
We are astounded by your response to this grievance. The grievance does not present a hypothetical or speculative concern. Several Austin fire fighters have confided in me that they are declining to follow their doctors’ medical advice because they are afraid that you will discipline them for doing so. The ability for Austin fire fighters to address their mental and physical health needs, by following treatment plans developed in conjunction with their medical professionals, without fear of being disciplined by the Department is an issue of utmost importance to the Association.
The AFA is only asking you to abide by the plain language of the CBA, and only after you announced that you may not follow the Contract’s language in regards to prescription THC. If you cannot provide members who suffer from PTSD the comfort they need to follow their doctors’ medical advice, by simply saying that you will follow the plain language of the Contract, what does this signal about the labor/management relationship as we head into bargaining?
Apparently, both labor and management will have much work ahead of us in order to achieve an agreement at the bargaining table.
The AFA requests that this grievance be submitted for arbitration.”
We will persist!
Please talk to your chain of command and ask them to advocate up the chain for Chief Baker to abide by the CBA and allow firefighters to address their mental and physical health needs, by following treatment plans developed in conjunction with their medical professionals that include legal medical THC, without fear of being disciplined by the Department.
IF you have any questions, please respond to this email.
Bob Nicks
President, Austin Firefighters Association
Retirement Party for Chief Frank Alvarez – April 4, 2022
Members, Retiree News, Retiree Upcoming EventsMarch 28, 2022 – Retirement Party for Chief Frank Alvarez on April 4th from 1PM to 5 PM at Lustre Pearl South Austin – 10400 Menchaca Road – Austin, Texas – 78748.
AFA files THC grievance after response from Chief Baker
MembersFebruary 15, 2022 – AFA files THC grievance after response from Chief Baker
Brother and Sister Firefighters,
When random drug testing was placed in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2009, the AFA made sure to include the following provision to ensure firefighters were protected when taking medications under a valid prescription:
Section 2.D, page 75 of the 2017 CBA
“A Fire Fighter will not be disciplined for the use of a controlled substance for which the Fire Fighter has a valid prescription, provided the employee is using the controlled substance in compliance with the prescription and Department policy, and is not impaired on duty.”
This language is clear and therefore leaves nothing up to interpretation. Yet, Chief Baker will not commit to following the CBA with regards to valid prescriptions. So after much effort on the AFA’s part to try to solve this seemingly simple problem through discussion, the AFA filed a grievance where we are asking Chief Baker to commit to following the clear language of the CBA.
Click here for AFA Grievance
Click here for Chief Baker Response And by the way, the timeliness issue raised in Baker’s response is faulty. Please attend an upcoming Virtual Station Visit on Zoom for further explanation (every Wednesday at 10:30 AM and Thursday at 1:30 PM).
Below is the AFA’s response to Chief Baker which sends this issue to arbitration.
“02/14/2022
Chief Baker,
We are astounded by your response to this grievance. The grievance does not present a hypothetical or speculative concern. Several Austin fire fighters have confided in me that they are declining to follow their doctors’ medical advice because they are afraid that you will discipline them for doing so. The ability for Austin fire fighters to address their mental and physical health needs, by following treatment plans developed in conjunction with their medical professionals, without fear of being disciplined by the Department is an issue of utmost importance to the Association.
The AFA is only asking you to abide by the plain language of the CBA, and only after you announced that you may not follow the Contract’s language in regards to prescription THC. If you cannot provide members who suffer from PTSD the comfort they need to follow their doctors’ medical advice, by simply saying that you will follow the plain language of the Contract, what does this signal about the labor/management relationship as we head into bargaining?
Apparently, both labor and management will have much work ahead of us in order to achieve an agreement at the bargaining table.
The AFA requests that this grievance be submitted for arbitration.”
We will persist!
Please talk to your chain of command and ask them to advocate up the chain for Chief Baker to abide by the CBA and allow firefighters to address their mental and physical health needs, by following treatment plans developed in conjunction with their medical professionals that include legal medical THC, without fear of being disciplined by the Department.
IF you have any questions, please respond to this email.
Bob Nicks
President, Austin Firefighters Association
AFD Johnny Mendez family – update on son Quincey
MembersFebruary 9, 2022 – Update on Quincey, son of AFD Johnny Mendez
All,
I want to thank you all for continuing to support Johnny Mendez. You have provided countless meals, replaced a broken window, replaced a water heater, and created a Christmas that his boys will not forget.
See the update and request for additional help below. The new year brings new deductibles. If you have already donated, please do not feel obligated to donate again.
Tim Vandermeer
Hello,
I would like to take a moment to say thank you for all the support you have giving to Quincey and our family! In August of 2021, our world changed in a devastating way. CANCER. Our 10-year-old son had been having issues with walking for over a year prior to this. We had him looked at by every specialist and even did physical therapy. Nothing seemed to work. They would only look at the leg and not higher up. They all just kept thinking it was muscle. One morning he woke up struggling with breathing and in a lot of pain. We took him to the doctor, and he wanted to get some scans immediately. That was Friday the 6th. Saturday morning at 8 am we were called and told to go straight to the Dell Children Hospital. We made it there in what seems to have been 30 minutes. There we met the Oncologist. That word says it all. She listened to him and decided that she wanted to do a full scan.
This is when we finally got all the details and explanations and the answers we have been looking for. The images were displayed on the screen so we can see everything. She proceeded to tell us that children do not get lung cancer. He had 6 tumors, that we could see at that time, all over the lungs. There must be a culprit that is causing it all so that is why she scanned more in depth and all over. The bad boy was discovered. Growing there in his pelvic bone.
We had done our research prior to the results on Quincey’s symptoms and the one thing that we came up with was Ewing Sarcoma. When I asked the oncologist, she asked me where I heard of that, I told her. She confirmed that is what he has. Metastatic (spread) Ewing Sarcoma (cancer of bone) There is only 200 cases per year reported in the United States. This is rare childhood cancer that is still under research. No known cause yet.
Our poor baby had been suffering for so long in pain and no one would listen. Finally, someone heard him.
Quincey was immediately admitted to the hospital and a plan was put in place. Surgery for a porta Cath was first then chemo regiment was started. The game plan was attacking this thing full force and very aggressively. Fast forward to October, and we get another scan of the chest. There was only one tumor left. The other 5 are GONE! Cancer is responding to the treatment. So that left us with the one in his bone and one left in his left lung. Now we start talking about surgery for the bone. We opted to do surgery, so we did not have to do radiation. Surgery went very well. They were able to remove about a 3-and-a-half-inch piece of bone along with the tumor itself and replaced it with a biological mesh. Fast forward again to January. Quincey is now able to walk without a walker or crutches and has healed very nicely. We had another scan done 2 weeks ago to see where we are at now. The LAST tumor in his lung went from measuring 7 mm to 4 mm. This child is so strong and is fighting like hell. But we are only halfway there.
New year means new deductibles and copays, etc. With us being a one income family and life outside of cancer does not stop, bills are creeping up on us again. This is where two strong hearted and minded adults must become vulnerable and ask for help. There is still a long way to go to get to the end. Quincey has 9 more rounds of chemo and physical therapy. That is about 4-5 months. There will still be hospital stays and clinic infusions weekly.
Here it goes. Please, if possible could help in any way it would be greatly appreciated. Our family has grown closer together since the start of this journey. If there is anything we could do in return let us know.
Venmo- @Jennifer-Mendez120, Venmo- @Johnny-Mendez-71
Retirement Planning
MembersResults of Online Vote – Motion 22-1 – Special Dues Assessment for Active AFA Member
MembersJanuary 20, 2022 – Results of Online Vote – Motion 22-1: Special dues assessment for Active AFA Members
Motion 22-1: Motion to approve a special dues assessment for active AFA members has passed.
Please click on the link below to view the results:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkVM9bd8MRUThBDIH7jFVP1FZrS7?e=0Rzit4
THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT TOOK THE TIME TO VOTE.
Motion 22-1: Motion to approve an active AFA membership dues assessment.
MembersJanuary 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:
Motion Maker: AFA Executive Board
Vote is only for Active Members (does not include retirees or probationary firefighters).
Chief Denzer Retirement Party
MembersJanuary 10, 2022 – Chief Denzer Retirement Party
Please join Chief Denzer in celebrating his retirement from 23 years of dedicated service with the Austin Fire Department on February 1st from 12:30-17:00.
The festivities will take place at Prohibition ATX, north Austin’s “cocktail centric speakeasy” which is located at 9112 Anderson Mill Rd., Austin, Texas 78729. Come by and share your memories and a toast to send him off in style!
A memory book is being put together for Chief, so if you have any photos and/or stories that you would like to be included, please email them to [email protected] or bring them to the party.
We look forward to seeing you there!!
Parental and Maternity Leave
MembersJanuary 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?
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 9th 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:
To help persuade the City Manager to come back with a plan outside the labor agreement, the AFA is leading an effort which includes:
The City manager has requested an extension from City Council beyond the 30 days specified in the December 9th 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
Agenda – Membership Meeting – January 11, 2022
MembersJanuary 4, 2022 – AGENDA FOR THE REGULAR UNION MEETING Date: 01-11-2022
Call meeting to order at 1300 hrs.
Swearing in of new members
Reading and approval of the December 2021 General Membership meeting minutes
Agenda Items –
Reports –
Political Action Committee Pension Committee Grievance Committee
E-Board Meeting Budget Report
-Any other reports
Motion(s):
Motion (22-1)-Motion to approve an active AFA member dues assessment, with the following conditions.
Motion Maker-AFA E Board
For more info on the AFA Dues Assessment Motion, click here.
Results of Online Vote – 2022 Proposed AFA Budget and Priorities
Members