|
Inquiring
minds are interested in the story of Michael Schaffer, a Cherry Hill, New
Jersey firefighter brave enough to take a stand against union greed.
Schaffer resigned from his union over its policy forbidding members from
volunteering for departments that employ union members or are targets for
union expansion.
Please consider South Jersey
firefighter takes stand against union.
For
more than three decades, Michael Schaffer has willingly run into burning
buildings. He's performed CPR on children. He's freed people trapped in
crashed vehicles. Last June, the union Schaffer has belonged to for 21 years
brought him up on charges for volunteering with the fire department where he
resides.
The International Association of Fire Fighters forbids members from
volunteering for departments that already employ some IAFF firefighters or
are viewed as targets by the IAFF for expansion.
Schaffer's hometown firehouse is all-volunteer and employs no union workers
directly. But through mutual aid agreements, the firehouse -- in the West
Berlin section of Berlin Township -- makes runs in neighboring towns that
employ some IAFF firefighters.
Rather than risk expulsion by his "brothers" for doing something
that he loves and that runs in the family, Schaffer resigned last month from
his union, Cherry Hill Firefighters Local 2663.
"Especially with the economic times, if we went to a paid department, it
would kill our town with taxes. People would have to move out," said
West Berlin Fire Chief Joe Jackson. Jackson, who is also Berlin Township's
police chief, said he backs Schaffer in this dispute.
Schaffer must still pay $35 out of every pay period to the union because of
contract obligations, though he receives none of the union benefits. He said
he harbors no ill will toward the IAFF, but hopes union leaders rethink their
approach to enforcing the rule.
"I don't work for the union. I work for the fire department. This in no
way is going to affect my job at all," Shaffer said. "I don't feel
any repercussions so far. I stood by what I thought was right."
What is a Public
Servant?
The key to this story is Michael Schaffer's comment "I don't work for
the union. I work for the fire department. I stood by what I thought was
right."
What a refreshing comment.
I would like to hear a teacher say "I don't work for the teachers'
union, I work for the school district, for the benefit of the kids. As a
public servant, I have a duty to work for what is in the best interest of the
children I teach, not the best interest of me or the union."
I would like to hear a police officer say "I don't work for the police
union, I work for the city. As a public servant, I have a duty to protect the
city, not rape the taxpayer. Public servants should serve, not be
served."
I realize it's a novel concept, but we would all be better off if public
servants served someone besides themselves.
Mish
GlobalEconomicAnalysis.blogspot.com
To
sign up for a free copy of Sitka’s Monthly Client Newsletter,
please register your email address at the bottom of the Sitka Pacific Commentary Page.
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
Thoughts
on the great inflation/deflation/stagflation debate as well as discussions on
gold, silver, currencies, interest rates, and policy decisions that affect
the global markets.
|
|