Dear Local 1568 Brothers and Sisters,
As Election Day approaches I want to point out some reasons why we are supporting Creigh Deeds for Governor.? As you all know I have been lobbying in Richmond on your behalf for many years.? During that time there was a period during which Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell were both members of the House of Delegates. That period of time is unique in that we had issues before both of them and consequently had their votes taken at the exact same time on the exact same issues.? My recollection of lobbying the 100 members of the House of Delegates was that Creigh Deeds was always a supporter and Bob McDonnell very infrequently voted the way we asked him to. I reviewed some of the bills we pursued at that time and my recollection was correct. Below are examples of some of the issues we lobbied before the House of Delegates during that time frame. As you can see, Creigh Deeds supports firefighters and employees while Bob McDonnell does not.
As always, the union does not mandate who you vote for.? Our job is to make you informed voters.? There is no question that Creigh Deeds is better for you if you are concerned about your wages, benefits, working conditions and your ability to provide for your family.? If you vote for Bob McDonnell because there are other issues more important to you, that is certainly your right.? If you vote for Bob McDonnell because you think he will protect your rights and benefits as an employee, then you are simply misinformed. If you are receiving this, you are a union member.? To Bob McDonnell, you are part of the problem. He has repeatedly stated that this election is about him against unions. From his perspective, unions pursuing wage and pension increases for the millions of middle class Americans they represent is a problem.? His adamant support for protecting "Right to Work" laws in Virginia (the most stringent in the United States) is clear. Those laws in reality constitute a right for every Virginian to work for minimum wage with minimal pension and health care benefits.? Please support Creigh Deeds for Governor!!
For each bill, the first link is the language of the bill and the second link is the actual vote.? You can see how they voted on issues that affect you directly.
HB 220 in 2000 FLSA - This bill stopped the statewide practice of taking ½ time away from firefighters during any pay period that they took personal leave. While we started off with this bill requiring overtime after 48 hours (versus the federal mandate of 53) and also would have required that all overtime worked be paid at 1 ½ time, the bill had to be compromised to only guarantee 1 ½ for all regularly scheduled hours that exceed the federal mandate of 53 hours. In other words, if you are scheduled to work a 56-hour workweek, the ½ time for hours 54, 55 and 56 were guaranteed. This bill as amended passed the House of Delegates as shown below but failed in the Senate.? The vote shows Creigh Deeds YEA and Bob McDonnell NEA!
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?001+vot+HV0641+HB0220
HB 2712 FLSA in 2001 - With the help of Mark Warner, we solidified our support in the Senate and submitted our FLSA bill again.? Once again Creigh Deeds voted YEA and Bob McDonnell voted NEA. This time the bill passed the House and Senate and was made into law.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=011&typ=bil&val=hb2712
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?011+vot+HV0723+HB2712
HB 634 meet and confer in 2000 - This bill simply stated that employee groups could sit down and talk to their elected officials provided the employer agreed to.? This was not a collective bargaining bill and the employer had to agree to talk.? It simply encouraged employers to talk to their unions.? This was entered because under Virginia Right to Work laws unions do not have to even be recognized.? With Creigh Deeds voting YEA and Bob McDonnell voting NEA the bill passed the House of Delegates.? Unfortunately, the bill failed in the Senate.? We submitted this bill for several years in a row with Deeds supporting and McDonnell opposing.? Now our next Governor may face a national collective bargaining bill for public safety officers. Which candidate do you think will treat us fairly if that bill is passed?
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=001&typ=bil&val=hb634
HB 145 meet and confer in 2002 - IN 2002 the "meet and confer" bill was assigned to a committee Bob McDonnell was on.? This time Bob McDonnell and some others were able to kill the bill in committee.? Most "Right to Work" states allow local governments to decide whether or not to talk to or even provide collective bargaining to their employee groups.? Only in North Carolina and Virginia do politicians like Bob McDonnell prohibit local governments from providing collective bargaining rights to employee unions even if the local government wants to.? That is part of the Virginia "Right to Work" laws that Bob McDonnell continues to represent as vital to the commonwealth. The vote below was to kill the bill. Bob McDonnell voted YEA and the bill was killed.
HB 1089 $3 for Life in 2001 - This bill would have increased the $2 fee for vehicle registration that is dedicated to funding EMS services for local fire departments to $3.? These funds have been and continue to be used by our department to pay for EMS training needs and EKG monitor replacement.? They must be used for the enhancement of EMS services. We try to get the Commonwealth of Virginia to help local governments pay for Fire Department services as much as possible.? The more they provide, the easier it is for us to push for other things at the local level.? Unfortunately, the funding from the state for local Fire Departments is only a small fraction of the amount of money the state provides for education and police departments.? This was a very small improvement relative to what those other agencies receive. Again, Creigh Deeds voted YEA and Bob McDonnell voted NEA.
The bottom line is that Creigh Deeds has consistently supported us for years.? Bob McDonnell philosophically disagrees with unions and supporting local fire departments.? McDonnell has and will work against pay and benefit enhancements for you and will not support measures that improve your working conditions.?
Additionally, Local 1568 is endorsing two candidates for the House of Delegates; John O’Bannon (R) for the 73rd district and James Towey (D) for the 56th. Dr. O’Bannon has been a delegate for almost a decade and very supportive to the fire service. He has supported and patroned bills that dealt with emergency vehicle response and infectious disease presumption. Dr. O’Bannon has been a friend to the fire service and is willing to continue to do so. James Towey is running against long time incumbent Bill Janus. Long story short, Janus has seldom been supportive of any fire service legislation during his tenure. In meeting with Mr. Towey, he was very open to our needs and concerns and willing to work towards those goals with us should he be elected.
To reiterate what has already been said, we are not telling you who to vote for. The candidates that Local 1568 has chosen to support are based solely on their fire service views and/or voting record. Our main concern is to continue to move the fire service forward and to provide a healthier, safer work environment. Most importantly, this letter was to help inform you of our candidates and regardless of whom you are voting for to make sure you vote.
Your Local 1568 Executive Board
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=011&typ=bil&val=HB1089?
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=021&typ=bil&val=hb145
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=001&typ=bil&val=hb220
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?011+vot+HC0510+HB1089
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?021+vot+H14V0015+HB0145
