Corona Firefighters Local 3757 President Jim Steiner is back in the station, less than three months after open heart surgery. Steiner, a captain with Corona FD, had the surgery to repair a dime-sized hole in his heart. He came back only six weeks after his April 22nd surgery with the support of his brother and sister firefighters.
Firefighters are getting more news that matter to them in minutes, courtesy of CPF Firevision. Since CPF Firevision launched in January, the online news service has reported on issues affecting our profession, like the re-introduction of the Emergency Response Initiative, the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony and pension-slashing measures.
The current economic tsunami is hitting California's fire service as never before. Your local union is fighting on multiple fronts to protect your interests, whether it's at the negotiating table, the halls of local government or the court of public opinion. As part of our collective mission to support those who work on your behalf, CPF and IAFF this summer hosted a series of one-day workshops to give your local leaders the tools to help them fight back.
Every year, billions of dollars in state tax money flows directly from the state to local governments to support essential services, including police and fire. Thanks to the state budget shortfall, and the politics at the Capitol, local government's piece of the pie is about to get a lot smaller.
Most working Californians see the current economic crisis as a challenge to be met with shared sacrifice, tough choices and resilience. A few, however, take a more cynical view - they see our collective struggle as an opportunity to score a political victory. This cynicism is at the heart of a renewed attack on your retirement security.