Things I learned from watching CSPAN

In support of my union and my public sector firefighter/ems brothers and sisters throughout the nation, I watched the Senate proceedings on CSPAN2 yesterday. And let me first say that I didn't realize how much "hurry up and wait" there was involved in our US Government.

I've learned a lot in the process of becoming first a union member and then a union officer. The number one thing that I learned was 'xactly how little I know about local, state, and federal politics. But I did learn what the definitions of quorum call, a cloture vote, and filibuster. (google is your friend!)

You see, an important piece of legislation was scheduled to be voted on last night by the US Senate. This legislation was tremendously important to public safety professionals and would have guaranteed your public safety servants the right to collectively bargain with their employers on issues directly related to their pay and benefits, working conditions, and safety concerns. These basic labor rights are already afforded to most private sector employees. Currently, about half of the states don't have any form of collective bargaining legislation.

Somehow this bill was attached into an amendment and hitched to the 2007 Farm Bill....I don't know why and I don't know how. All I know is that is was a close vote and we lost because of some devious stalling techniques designed to make this bill fail. In an extremely disappointing move, the authors of the bill decided to withdraw the amendment. They will strive to get this passed after the new year.

If you care about your local firefighter and EMS providers, please call your senators and urge them to support Senate bill 2123, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. Many of your providers have little to no say in their working conditions and are forced to work under less than ideal circumstances. Many don't have proper safety equipment or training and are understaffed and underpaid. Many don't have the privilege to shed light on their workplace issues for fear of retaliation or termination.

You can read more about this bill here and here.

You can call the Senatorial Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 Tell them what state you live in and they will connect you to your senator. This is especially important if your senator(s) are not listed as a co-sponsor of this bill as listed below:

Sen Bayh, Evan [IN]
Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE]
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH]
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY]
Sen Coleman, Norm [MN]
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME]
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT]
Sen Domenici, Pete V. [NM]
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL]
Sen Gregg, Judd [NH] {Sponsor}
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA]
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA]
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT]
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR]
Sen Martinez, Mel [FL]
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ]
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD]
Sen Murkowski, Lisa [AK]
Sen Murray, Patty [WA]
Sen Obama, Barack [IL]
Sen Pryor, Mark L. [AR]
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT]
Sen Smith, Gordon H. [OR]
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME]
Sen Specter, Arlen [PA]
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI]
Sen Stevens, Ted [AK]
Sen Sununu, John E. [NH]

You can also use this page to find your senator's website and send him/her a message requesting their support.

Please support the effort for fair and equal representation for your public safety professionals who place their lives on the line daily to keep your families safe today and every day.