Dear Local 3393 members,
Let me begin by thanking you for supporting all of our efforts on the local level. I along with our Executive Board really appreciate your continued support.
For those of you that don’t know me personally, I am as patriotic a person as you would ever meet. I still hold my hand over my heart when I recite the pledge of allegiance, and also when I sing along to the national anthem. My close friends and family members know this. I regularly thank God that I am an American and thank our ancestors for fighting to make this the only truly free Country in the world today. I think back to what our ancestors were able to accomplish during the Revolutionary War and I still get goose bumps. It was an impossible war for us to win but we prevailed because the war had a purpose to all of us. Our ultimate freedom from the English Monarchy!!! America and our constitution, as we know it, was built by every outspoken, radical, non-conformist that was thrown out of every good country in the world (at the time). We called those out-spoken non-conformists great Patriots back then. Does it sound a little familiar? Many of you have probably heard those same comments about being a Union member. Many people in our Fire Department have labeled me as an outspoken, radical, non-conformist, because of my loyalty to the Union and especially its membership. It makes me proud to be considered what I would call a great Patriot (by definition above). I am just exercising the rights that our for-fathers granted us when we won Independence from England. That’s the greatest thing about living in America.
Many of you continue to ask why in the world is the IAFF mixed up in Presidential politics? This is a good question. The answer to that question is because they —we— can’t afford to sit on our hands. Our profession and livelihood will be affected regardless if the IAFF supported a candidate or not. While we have a diverse union, I recognize that you (our members) have a wide range of political opinions and respect that every one of you must make decisions about who to vote for based on the issues most important to you and your families.
Your union has its own set of interests too — just like the NRA or pro-life groups. The IAFF presents the issues to you that will have an impact on you as a fire fighter only. You can accept their information or reject it. But, the IAFF has the right and an obligation to us all to present these issues on how it will affect the way you do your job. You can view this information on fire fighter issues at www.firefightersforobama.com and I encourage you to do so.
Why am I writing this letter? That’s an even better question. As your local president, I deal with our Chief and City administration all the time. Every single thing that we have achieved has come through political pressure, legal action, or negotiations.
For me, this election isn’t about the FIRE Act or interoperability. Those issues are important to us. But, as a local president and someone concerned about my own paycheck and Job Security, it’s about the economic crisis, our wages, benefits, and working conditions. I’m concerned because many fire departments across the United States are closing stations and laying-off fire fighters. If you think it won’t happen here you better think again. The City of Concord just recently established a policy about lay-offs. I feel certain that it is in preparation for what will be in our future. With Phillip Morris closing in little more than a year, and a continued threat from the Speedway to move or shut down part of their operation, two of the biggest taxpayers may be gone from the city/county. The writing is on the walls Brothers and Sisters. Ask your Parents and Grand-Parents if they ever thought Cannon Mills would be completely gone one day.
If John McCain succeeds in taxing our health care, (an average of $2800.00 per working family member per year) as his health care reform proposal calls for, I know what will happen. In short order, we will all have to buy our own health care plans on the open market. It will be more expensive, provide fewer benefits, and create problems for those who have pre-existing conditions. Most employer based plans have clauses that force the insurance company to accept each employee with their current conditions (if any) at the time of open enrollment. When you provide your own health insurance it will be extremely expensive to purchase health care insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. If you don’t believe me, call me, (704-791-2933) and I can put you in touch with some of our local members that have this very problem right now. The other issue that will impact the cost of providing your own insurance is the fact that you have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world (Fire Fighting) based on workers compensation claims. Another important fact is that the risk (dangerous profession) gets diluted with all the other employees included in a straight employer plan. These issues all get factored in when an insurance company sets rates for their policies.
If John McCain succeeds in appointing another conservative judge to the Supreme Court, our overtime protections could be in serious jeopardy and it could end up costing us money as the court will revisit the issue of FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) coverage. While the PFFPNC passed overtime protection for fire fighters in the 2008 NC legislative session, with it gone at the federal level, it is almost certain that the League of Municipalities will come back and attempt to have the NC law repealed.
If Barack Obama wins the presidency, a national collective bargaining bill will be signed into law. If John McCain wins it, a national collective bargaining bill will not be signed into law.
If John McCain wins we will be fighting to save our defined benefit pension plans and fighting to keep Social Security (SS) away from privatization. McCain would like to see Social Security handed to you as an individual and then you would be allowed to invest your funds in whatever part of the stock market you wish. This creates TWO distinct problems. The first being how has the stock market been lately? Have you lost money on you 401-K statement? The second reason is it changes the way it pays you when you retire. In the current SS plan it is what is called a defined benefit plan. (This means you get a defined (specific) benefit amount from the time you start drawing SS until your death.) The McCain proposal changes it to a defined contribution plan. This means you continue to put a specific amount into your plan just like you currently do but, here is the difference. When you start to receive your benefits you only receive the benefit as long as you have funds in your account.
Example: Look at you current SS statement. You should receive one from the government every year. I have been paying into SS for 33 years and I have only contributed $60,384.00 dollars into the system. My employers have contributed the same amount which brings the total in my account to $120,768.00. Let’s hypothetically say that I could contribute the same amount in the next 15 years as I have in the last 33. So now my account has $241,536.00 in contributions. Let’s say that I was a great investor and earned a total interest of approximately 24%. (Highly unlikely with interest rates as low as they have been for the last 8-10 years and the recent collapse of the stock market and banks.) This would bring the total in my account to $299,504.64. We’ll round it to $300,000.00 for simplicity. That sounds and looks great when you first look at it. But, here is what it really means. My SS statement says I would be eligible for a monthly benefit of $1854.00 per month. 1854 X 12 months = $22,248.00 per year. 300000 ÷ 22248 = 13.4 years of benefits. I would be able to receive a benefit from my account for 13 years and 3 months before it had a zero balance. If I needed to plan to receive a benefit for 25 years I would have to reduce the benefit to $1000.00 per month to keep the account with funds in it. Still if I lived beyond the 25 years planned for the benefit distribution, my account balance would be at $0.00 again. An additional point is that your spouse and children would not be eligible for any benefits should you die, other than disbursing the funds in the retirement account, with a hefty tax penalty under current law. My statement says that if I die today my minor child would receive a benefit of $1348.00 per month and my spouse would receive an additional $1348.00 per month also. One additional staggering thought is that none of the private retirement account would be protected under FDIC unless you simply invested in bank notes. And that would be limited to a mere $100,000.00 under protection of the FDIC.
Barack Obama is trying to protect the rights of the working class and how these issues will impact us as our nation’s homeland defenders. John McCain is on the opposite side of the fence on all these issues. If McCain wins, we will most likely spend the next four years fighting just to maintain what we already have. This election isn’t an exercise on determining which candidate we like better or who we’d rather have a beer with. It’s about making an educated decision on who is best for our economic future. Ultimately, you get to vote for whoever you choose. That is why we live in the land of the free. I only ask you to look at the issues affecting us as fire fighters and make your decision accordingly.
There are several other offices that will be impacted by this election and the one of governor is of significant importance. I recently watched the gubernatorial debate on WSOC-TV and listened to hear how the candidates would handle some of the very serious issues we are currently facing in NC. Unemployment rate is the highest it has been in over 6 years. The fuel crisis with shortages and high prices is another big one. But one that really resonates in my mind is the fact that NC has some of the worst retirement benefits in the country. I had listened to an earlier debate and McCrory was adamant about not providing a 25 year retirement for public safety employees. Perdue supports the idea. While I was watching the most current debate, McCrory offered an unsolicited negative remark about public safety employees getting a 25 year retirement. He said “a 25 year retirement will bust the retirement system.” He went on to criticize Perdue for getting endorsements from the police and fire organizations. She of course defended those endorsements and chastised the Charlotte mayor for his criticism. There are many other issues that were debated, but the ones listed are the ones that really stood out in my mind.
The most important issue is that you go to that voting booth and exercise your patriotic duty by voting. I am extremely surprised every year at the number of people that do not vote. Please show your patriotism by voting this year. Early voting started on October 16, and ends November 1. Tuesday, November 4th is Election Day. If you don’t vote you have no reason to complain!!!
Thank you for being a part of a great organization that strives to make your jobs and you as safe and efficient as possible. I also want to thank you for taking the time to become more educated about the decision you make. For those that would like to see a list of endorsed candidates there is a link on the website that you can view or better yet. Print it off and take into the voting booth with you.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Lester Cragan, Pres. IAFF Local 3393
Concord Professional Fire Fighters Assoc.
704-791-2933 (cell)
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