News

Please click link below to read President Trump's endorsement letter.

PLEASE SHARE: Any member who has used or is using Military Leave time please email info@iaff22.org. Today, Local 22 was made aware of a discrepancy in the translation of our contractual agreement regarding this time. 

Please put "Military Time" on the subject line

Thank you

There may be a contested race for IAFF General President and once again we are asking for your vote. Please take a moment to go in the "Members" section of the website, open the "Survey" tab and choose "General President of the IAFF Survey". 

If you have not voted in the Presidential survey for POTUS, please take that survey as well. 

Thank you for your time

I want to begin by thanking the Claims Committee for its hard work in hearing and ruling on IAFF General President Schaitberger’s appeal.

I urge each IAFF member to carefully read the Claims Committee’s entire ruling which I have sent to each IAFF member by email, and form your own judgment about the findings. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced by reading bullet points or selected excerpts.

When you read the entire ruling, you will learn that the Claims Committee did not conclude that it was proper for General President Schaitberger to start collecting his staff pension when he became the General President in September 2000. Rather, the Committee concluded that because what happened was long ago, and because any improper payments would have been the fault of other persons within the IAFF, it would not be fair to now recover any pension payments directly from General President Schaitberger.

As firefighters we all agree that a pension is an earned benefit we all deserve for our years of dedication and service, however nothing angers us more than when our pension system is being abused. Additionally, as dues paying members, who fund the IAFF pension plans, we each have a stake in how and where our money is spent.

I was made aware by legal council that the General President collecting an improper staff pension was in violation of Internal Revenue Code, plan governance, and could result in substantial fines, and the potential for the pension plan to lose its qualified tax status. Losing the qualified tax status would directly impact all of our plan participants and beneficiaries, and could ultimately cost our rank and file dues paying members substantially.

In addition to requesting the staff pension plan attorney to codify his opinion on the impermissibility of the General President’s pension in writing, I sought a second opinion from another pension attorney who came to the same conclusion. A third pension attorney engaged by the Executive Board’s Administrative Committee also rendered a legal opinion which concluded the General President’s pension was impermissible.

Consistent with the advice rendered by all three law firms, the IAFF Executive Board voted unanimously in March to suspend General President Schaitberger’s staff plan pension while the matter was under investigation and until a resolution was reached. The Board later postponed that suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Claims Committee has now given us their ruling, and I give you my word that I will continue to uphold the oath I swore as your General Secretary-Treasurer, to serve as your eyes and ears with regards to how each and every penny of your union dues is spent.

Be you, Be strong, Be Fire Fighters.

Click here for GST Kellys Message

IAFF Final Decision Re Schaitberger Appeal.091920.pdf

Edward A. Kelly

General Secretary-Treasurer 

International Association of Firefighters

1750 New York Ave., NW

Washington D.C. 20006

202-824-1511

This is the 2nd attachment to my preceding e-mail.

Thank you, 

Gene Janda 

Dear Local 22 members,

As a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), you are a part of the extensive history of emergency services to the great City of Philadelphia.  For over fifty years, Fireman's Hall Museum (FHM) has been the designated organization to collect, store and display the history of firefighting and EMS from the PFD and pre-PFD eras. 

As a retired fire captain and current president of the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, I ask you to consider supporting FHM through the Golf Inning or by becoming a member of the museum.  Please see the attachments for additional information. 

Best regards,

Gene Janda 

Anyone with pictures or dates for the calendar can now send them to calendar@iaff22.org

This will be permanent and you can send them at any time off the year so you don't have to wait anymore. For pictures please include date, location and alarms if possible.

We have a few changes this year.

1. We will have members names and assignments on the back again (they were only left off as a last resort to save time in order to get them out due to multiple delays)

2. Diamond plate in between the days will go back to just regular lines.

3. We will be posting the individual months on our internal union Facebook group (not the pictures) for everyone to see in advance of the printing. First person to spot a mistake in each month will win a Local 22 t-shirt.

On the subject of last years errors please remember the corrections sent out earlier this year. The platoon calendar for next year (in the back) we received from the Department is incorrect and January's pay days are the 14th and 28th not the 7th and 21st. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed pictures and dates already, and we're looking forward to receiving many more.

If you didn't know Sean Hogan, he was a firefighter at Ladder 2. In October of 2012 he was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer and passed away in September of 2013. He left behind his wife Patty, 2 year old son Sean Jr and 3 month old daughter Faith.

All of the proceeds of the Golf Outing go to an education fund set up for Sean Jr and Faith. Anyone interested in golfing, or any station looking to sponsor a hole or make a donation can contact Sean Dougherty L27/C 215-760-5321 or John Adgalene L28/A 215-880-9465.

Thank you.

See attached.

Local 22 has received numerous calls over the weekend concerning an erroneous leave balance deduction that many if not all members experienced in last week’s pay.  Please know we are aggressively working towards finding out why this happened and how quickly the balances will be adjusted back to their proper levels.  We will update the membership accordingly once we have relevant information.  In the meantime, please remember to always verify your pay and leave balance information each and every pay period.

The Burn Foundation and Local 22 thanks everyone for making this event such a success. We are sorry we could not accommodate any more participants and look forward to seeing you next year.

Feel free to call me at 267 549 6326 towards the end of the month to see if there has been any cancellations.

Jerry Kots

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Retired Firefighter Arthur Seeger who passed away on August 29^th, 2020. He retired on April 1^st, 1993 out of Ladder 28.

All are invited to attend the services.

Viewing

Saturday, September 5^th, 2020

2:00 – 4:00 PM

There will be a September Union Meeting on September 1st and 2nd at 7pm. All CDC guidelines will be adhered to. 

Thank you

Members who sold back vacation time beginning with the inception of the One Philly pay system through the end of 2019 were not compensated properly for those hours.  An improper decision was made to not include longevity pay in the hourly rate used to calculate the amount due to our members for those hours.  Local 22 is very happy to share that after a lengthy negotiation, our members are finally being compensated for the amount they were underpaid.  This issue impacted approximately 180 of our members, and we appreciate the members who brought this issue to our attention.  Some members saw the positive adjustment in today’s pay with the label Uniform Misc Adj.  The remainder of our affected members will see the positive adjustment in the next pay cycle under the same label. 

Although some issues take longer than others to resolve, rest assured that your Executive Team at Local 22 is constantly working on your behalf to assure all of our members are compensated properly. 

THANK YOU for your participation in the “Stress and Violence in fire-based EMS Responders (SAVER)” Survey, led by the Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST) at Drexel University. This survey will help us understand the impact of the SAVER Model Policies that PFD will soon be adopting, in addition to the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the department. By participating, you are representing not only the department, but the entire nation.

The SAVER Survey Assessment takes approximately 10-15 minutes. This means for only two-hours of your time you are contributing to the first national assessment to understand the mental health impact of the fire and rescue service. 

The survey will be open August 10^th through August 18^th. We encourage you to take the survey as soon as possible during your work hours.

To access the survey, please follow the below instructions:

1. Click the following link: SAVER Survey Assessment - Philadelphia Fire Department, PA
2. Enter the survey password: saver 
3. After consenting to the survey, enter your Employee ID.

Help us, help you by completing the survey today!

The information transmitted in this message (including any attachments) is intended only for the person or persons to whom it is addressed, and may contain material that is confidential and/or privileged. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination or other use of the information contained herein by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.

See attached for Union Gram 20-06

Due to the current COVID guidelines representatives from our Deferred Compensation provider, Nationwide, are not permitted to visit stations as our members have become accustomed to.  As an alternative, they have made themselves available via video conference to meet with members one on one or in a group setting.  This is a very convenient and almost effortless way to get your financial questions answered and to monitor your progress towards a fruitful retirement.  Please see the attached flyer for information on how to arrange for a virtual meeting at home or as a group at your stations.

Markets have been extremely volatile this year and are showing no signs of letting up until at least after the upcoming election.  That volatility creates financial turbulence and opportunity alike.  We hope you will utilize this FREE tool as a way to navigate through the process. 

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Retired Firefighter George Miller who passed away on June 6th, 2020. He retired on October 16^th, 1989. 

Services are private.

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Retired Firefighter Jay Bowen who passed away on June 6^th, 2020. He retired on July 11^th, 1984, out of Engine 56.

Services were private.

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Lieutenant Clarence Pringle who passed away on May 28^th, 2020. He retired on August 12^th, 2019.

Services will be private.

Effective with today’s payroll distribution, all members who were due Covid-19 Essential Pay should have received the entirety of what they are owed.  As a reminder, the Essential Pay Period began on March 18, 2020 and lasted through March 29, 2020.  Any member who was present for their regularly assigned shift during that period was paid an extra .5 hours for each regularly scheduled hour that they worked.  The Essential Pay and related hours were very clearly identified on your paystub and in turn should be very easy for all members to reconcile.  At this point, if you believe you have not been properly paid for the Essential Pay you are owed:

1 - Work with your officer to verify that you were actually Present (P) on the roll call for your scheduled shifts during the time period listed above.

2 – Reconcile the number of hours you were actually marked Present (P) on the Roll Calls against the total number of hours for which you received Essential Pay.

3 – If, after verification, you find that there is a discrepancy have your officer scan your paystubs for PPE 04/05/20, 04/19/20, 05/03/20 and 05/17/20 and forward them to payroll noting your perceived discrepancy.  Be sure to copy Local 22 on that email using the address info@iaff22.org. 

It is very important that you do your part to verify any payroll errors prior to submitting a request to payroll and/or Local 22.  When the proper procedures are followed, we generally experience a much more efficient resolution. 

We are happy to report that payroll was able to process the newly negotiated 2.5% pay increase for all Local 22 members for this week’s pay cycle.  As a reminder, the contract language stated that the pay increase was to take effect beginning with the first full pay period after May 1, 2020.  That pay period started on Monday May 4, 2020 (not May 1 as some may have mistakenly anticipated), and ended on Sunday May 17, 2020.  As always, please be sure to review and reconcile each and every paystub you receive and make your officer aware of any perceived discrepancies.  If your officer is unable to resolve the issue, please contact Local 22 so we can address the issue accordingly. 

Due to the current circumstances, Local 22 is not able to hold our annual Spring  Investment/Retirement seminar in usual fashion.  However, In lieu of our annual “live” Spring Investment/Retirement seminar we are proud to offer all members the opportunity to gain some timely and extremely valuable insights from the comfort of your own home or firehouse.  We have arranged with Nationwide, your 457 Plan administrator, to host an Investing 101 Webinar on Friday May 22 at 11 AM. The key to a proper and enjoyable retirement is effective planning THROUGHOUT your career, and this information is the basis for just that.

Below is a list of the topics that will be covered in Investing 101 and a short summary of each one:

Asset Allocation:

What is the difference between Cash, Bonds, and Stock and how do they work together in your portfolio?

What are the different types or segments of Stock?

What is a Mutual Fund?

What is the difference between Indexing vs Active Management?

How to create your allocation – Target Date Funds, Investment Planner tool, self-provision.

Rebalancing:

Removing the emotion from investing.

Concept of buying low and selling high.

How to automate the process.

Dollar Cost Averaging:

How does it work?

What are the benefits?

IAFF - Investing 101
Fri, May 22, 2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/977812269

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212

Access Code: 977-812-269

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/977812269

No pre-registration is required, so please mark your calendars accordingly and invest an hour in your future retirement!

ATTENTION ALL PHILLY FSPs and FSEs -

We currently have 96 FSPs and FSEs that completed the survey.  We need at least 200 members to complete It by the deadline of 5/19/20 (tomorrow) at midnight.

Although this is a "voluntary" survey, by completing this survey "YOU" are representing not only the department, but the entire nation.  This is an incredible and unique opportunity! If you have not completed the survey PLEASE do so by the deadline.

It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.  We encourage you to take the survey as soon as possible during your working hours.

To access the survey, please follow the below instructions:

1. Click the following link:https://drexel.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9oaoztks5wlhezH
2. Enter the survey password: saver
3. After consenting to the survey, enter your Payroll #.

See attached.

The original blast in regards to this seminar showed the wrong date of May 2.  The date of this seminar is May 22.  All other details are accurate.  

Due to the current circumstances, Local 22 is not able to hold our annual Spring  Investment/Retirement seminar in usual fashion.  However, In lieu of our annual “live” Spring Investment/Retirement seminar we are proud to offer all members the opportunity to gain some timely and extremely valuable insights from the comfort of your own home or firehouse.  We have arranged with Nationwide, your 457 Plan administrator, to host an Investing 101 Webinar on Friday May 22 at 11 AM. The key to a proper and enjoyable retirement is effective planning THROUGHOUT your career, and this information is the basis for just that.

Below is a list of the topics that will be covered in Investing 101 and a short summary of each one:

Asset Allocation:

What is the difference between Cash, Bonds, and Stock and how do they work together in your portfolio?

What are the different types or segments of Stock?

What is a Mutual Fund?

What is the difference between Indexing vs Active Management?

How to create your allocation – Target Date Funds, Investment Planner tool, self-provision.

Rebalancing:

Removing the emotion from investing.

Concept of buying low and selling high.

How to automate the process.

Dollar Cost Averaging:

How does it work?

What are the benefits?

IAFF - Investing 101
Fri, May 22, 2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/977812269

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212

Access Code: 977-812-269

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/977812269

No pre-registration is required, so please mark your calendars accordingly and invest an hour in your future retirement!

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Retired FireFighter Timothy Clohessey who passed away on May 11^th, 2020. He retired on June 30^th, 1992, out of Ladder 15.

Services will be private.

Press Release - Manayunk Brewing Company Proudly Supports our Essential Workers

To thank all of the first responders, emergency personnel and essential workers, Manayunk Brewing Company will be providing complimentary growlers of beer to anyone over 21 years old.

Each Friday and Saturday, beginning on Friday, April 24, we will have a curbside beer station set up in front of the brewery at 4120 Main Street.

Please arrive between 2pm-5pm. Everyone will be required to show proof of ID and our staff will place the beer into your vehicle. 

The safety of our staff is very important. Therefore, we will require all staff to wear disposable gloves and face masks. We will also have hand sanitizer available. No one will be permitted inside the gate and we ask that everyone remains in their vehicle. 

Manayunk Brewing Company brewed their first batch of beer on October 17, 1996. Since then, they have brewed more than 600 different varieties of beers, and have been selling these sought-after styles all around Philadelphia and New Jersey. The brewery continuously expanded and currently has a stone pizza oven and sushi bar, as well as a chic banquet space for weddings and meetings.

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Retired Lieutenant Joseph Eden who passed away on April 30th, 2020. He retired on April 14^th, 2007.

All services will be private.

See attached.

See attached.

Press Release - Manayunk Brewing Company Proudly Supports our Essential Workers

To thank all of the first responders, emergency personnel and essential workers, Manayunk Brewing Company will be providing complimentary growlers of beer to anyone over 21 years old.

Each Friday and Saturday, beginning on Friday, April 24, we will have a curbside beer station set up in front of the brewery at 4120 Main Street.

Please arrive between 2pm-5pm. Everyone will be required to show proof of ID and our staff will place the beer into your vehicle. 

The safety of our staff is very important. Therefore, we will require all staff to wear disposable gloves and face masks. We will also have hand sanitizer available. No one will be permitted inside the gate and we ask that everyone remains in their vehicle. 

Manayunk Brewing Company brewed their first batch of beer on October 17, 1996. Since then, they have brewed more than 600 different varieties of beers, and have been selling these sought-after styles all around Philadelphia and New Jersey. The brewery continuously expanded and currently has a stone pizza oven and sushi bar, as well as a chic banquet space for weddings and meetings.

 Evan Fritz

Head Brewer

Manayunk Brewing Co.

(856) 371-8018

Members who have tested positive for Covid-19 will be receiving notification from the Dept that the City will be accepting COPA II Injury/Exposure forms. In accordance with Pennsylvania State Workman Compensation language, any member may file for an injury within 120 days. This does not guarantee that your claim will be accepted due to the burden of proof in Pennsylvania is on the employee not the employer.

There is currently NO Presumptive language covering Covid-19. Local 22 is anticipating that not all Positive Test Covid-19 claims will be accepted as an exposure/injury. The reasoning is that due to burden of proof not all positive tests will be accepted as duty related.

If you were knocked off by the Dept due to a firehouse or duty exposure and you tested positive you may be covered. If you were ordered off due to a non-duty related exposure which resulted in a Positive Test result you will probably experience some difficulty with your claim. Make sure everyone documents all exposures, on duty and off for future claims

Claims to the City will be filed directly with Qyiana Churn at PFD Human Resources to ensure confidentiality.

Please send all Local 22 questions and inquiries with your Name and contact info to Rdesk@iaff22.org so they can be forwarded for guidance.

We just thought we’d reach out to everyone and to remind you that Local 22’s Peer Support Team is here if you need us.  This could be a horribly trying time for some of our members, dealing with the news of the pandemic and working on the front lines while the family is stuck at home.  The tension created, whether you have small children, aging parents or if you live alone can be overwhelming.      Just know that you are not alone. We are here to help.  Peer support is just the beginning.  Just talking to a peer might be enough.  If you do need more help, we have resources available depending on your needs. The services we provide are as follows:

Peer Support Team (Contact members below, or consult list in each firehouse) 

Fire Dept. EAP 215 685-HELP (4357)

Local 22’s EAP (MHC Mental Health Consultants ) 800-255-2081

Chaplain, although not official yet we do have several chaplains available for you. (Contact Mike Yaeger or Tommy Kane if you are in need a Chaplain)

If you are struggling give us a call.  If you see another member struggling give us a call.  Every contact we have either by phone or in person is strictly confidential.

In brotherhood

Michael Yaeger, Peer Coordinator, 215-514-5288

Tommy Kane Assistant Peer Coordinator, 215-917-7236

William Murphy Assistant Peer Coordinator ( EMS ) 215-815-0960

Today, Regulation 31.24 was approved by Civil Service as a regulation. This Regulation states that all IAFF Local 22 bargaining unit members will receive one and a half times their ordinary hourly rate for all hours worked during their regularly scheduled shift from March 18^th to March 29^th.At this time, we are being told that the additional hours will be calculated at your “Base Pay” rate; meaning this does not include any longevity or premium pay. This includes all Civil Service ranks up to and including the AC’s.  This also means that if you’re carried as MXT, Sick, Vac, or anything other than Present (P) in the book, you will not be compensated at this rate. Needless to say, if you are working Overtime, Comp Time (Chief officers will still receive Comp hours), or MXT, you will be paid at that regular rate as before; obviously due to the fact that this is not your “Regular Scheduled Shift”.

Local 22 recommends that all members keep track of your time worked in order to ensure accuracy.

IN Brotherhood

See attached

See attached for Union Gram 20-02

WATCHDESK APP”

Historically, having to prove to the city that your Cancer or any other type of disease/illness was caused by being a First Responder was almost impossible. Local 22 has fought countless cases and less than 1% has been settled as an actual “On the Job-Related Illness”. Our entire careers we’ve watched so many Brothers and Sisters literally die trying to get acknowledgment for something seemed so just. Why is it so hard to prove? Why can’t they just see how being on the job for all these years, exposed to so many different things, is the reason now we have what we have? What about our families and who’s going to take care of them; wasn’t I was supposed to, weren’t we? Why are we all being Denied!? I’ll tell you why, submitting a piece of paper to the city stating that your illness was job related, with no supporting documentation, is an uphill battle already lost.

Hold on a second. What if we had a resource that could document every run, every exposure, even store pictures of the scene, or any other important information? What if we had this from day 1 on the job? What would the outcome be now if we were able to upload all that information, pictures included, and put thousands of pages in front of someone for review? What do you think the end result would be now? Let’s find out.

Local 22 has been working with a company in order to create an app for our members to document everything in their careers. This app will be located on your very own homepage (TITLED: “MY WATCHDESK”) of the website (www.iaff22.org) and only you can create, review and edit. Also, within this app you are able to “Tag” those you worked with so that information can be shared amongst each other. Last and so important, you can just click on the camera in the app, and start taking pics to upload and save forever. Can you imagine showing a Judge or someone pics of a chemical spill, burnt out contents, or any other important pic that says 1000 words? This is going to be truly amazing.

On a lighter note, wouldn’t it be great to record a “Diary” of every run you’ve had in your career? Wouldn’t it be awesome to look back at the past 10, 20, 30+ years to reminisce and share with family, friends and co-workers? Recently there was a book released by one of Local 22’ great chief’s that shared so many revealing stories of his 37 years of service. With this app you can do just that, we’re not saying write a book, we’re talking about having that “Log” of your career at your fingertips. Now finally, with the “Watchdesk” app, you will be able to document your history forever.

Now while this app is almost ready for release, we have decided to launch the live web version on the website for your review and use. Please feel free to send any helpful feedback to make this APP even better to jeltman@iaff22.org

Thank you all

IN Brotherhood

See Attached.

Attached is the Captain and Lieutenant Promotional Lists Combined as a single PDF