This past year was a time of great progress and achievement for NFFE and its members. We have seen vast improvements in our organizing, stepped up our communications and secured a series of significant legislative victories.
Now, with 2010 in full swing, we are looking to build on these successes and bring our union to even greater heights. In this spirit, I would like to share with you some of the many priorities that NFFE will pursue as 2010 continues to unfold.
In the early days of this year, we announced the formation of the Federal Workers Alliance (FWA), a coalition of 21 unions representing federal workers. FWA members will work together in solidarity to promote favorable legislation and personnel policies for the more than 300,000 combined federal employees it represents. Working side by side with our union brothers and sisters on these matters benefits us all.
Another important relationship we are looking to cultivate is that between labor and management at the many agencies we represent. We intend to play a very active role in the formation of new agency partnership councils. Our goal is to build a strong foundation for robust and productive dialogue to take place between workers and their managers.
We have an ambitious legislative agenda for 2010. Among our numerous legislative priorities this year, we hope to secure pay parity between military and civilian employees, establish a paid parental leave benefit, and to obtain the benefits that many temporary federal employees are denied.
Lastly, NFFE will continue to focus on organizing and engaging new members. With the new Organizing Strategic Plan in motion, we are committing significant time and resources to growing our union. By year's end we anticipate greater growth in members than we experienced in 2009.
With your help, I am looking forward to making 2010 the best year ever to be a NFFE member.
William R. Dougan
FLAME Act Passes House; Crucial Wildfire Prevention Bill Now Moves on to Senate
Friday, March 27, 2009
(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Yesterday,
the House of Representatives passed legislation
to establish an emergency federal fund to fight
increasingly frequent catastrophic wildland
fires.
The
bipartisan Federal Land Assistance, Management,
and Enhancement Act (FLAME Act), H.R. 1404,
will serve as a separate emergency fund to
relieve the growing strain on existing agency
budgets. Dubbed the “FLAME Fund,” the new
resources can only be accessed when the
Department of Agriculture or Department of the
Interior issues a wildfire emergency
declaration, which is determined by the size,
severity, and threat of the individual fire to
the public.
Mark Davis,
Legislative Director of NFFE’s Forest Service
Council, has spent years making the case for a
separate emergency fund:
“For years
we have had no choice but to rob Peter to pay
Paul,” said Davis. “With a separate fund to
draw from in the event of an emergency, we will
no longer have to sacrifice other crucial land
management missions that are essential to the
safety and wellbeing of our national
forests.”
Congressman
Raúl M. Grijalva, an original sponsor of the
legislation, took a similar tone
when discussing the necessity of the
bill:
“The cost of
fighting catastrophic wildfires on public lands
has engulfed federal agency budgets,” stated
Grijalva. “Public land managers must have the
resources for prevention and protection of
communities without destroying their day to day
operational budget. We cannot financially or
environmentally afford to always be on the
defensive when it comes to wildland
fires.”
The
Obama Administration has indicated its support
for the funding approach used in the FLAME Act.
The bill is now under review by the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources.
