Support Roswell Fire Dept. -- Sign the PETITION for a raise!!

[Friends of RFD]

This is an interesting story. In Roswell, NM the fire department has been overlooked for a raise for the last three years while the police department has received multiple raises within the last 12 months. The city council has "implied" that the fire department is a lower priority than the police department. A group of citizens has taken it upon themselves to rally the city together behind the cause of getting RFD a raise. Read the petition. Sign the petition. Support a fellow fire department!!



http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportroswellfire/

[DeputyMarshal]

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportroswellfire/

It's a nice thought but internet petitions aren't worth the paper they're written on.

(BTW, posting the same message 3 times is generally considered spamming the forum.)

[sfd1992]

According to the blog,

"Several years ago, the city of Roswell promised to match RFD raises with Police Department raises if the Fire Dept. would not unionize."

Did the city also promise to respect them in the morning?

Organize.

Now.

[PaladinKnight]

I missed that part...

It isn't respect the next morning I would worry about...

I'd be checking to see if they took my Hanes in the deal.

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I really don't think the Bosses are going to give a 'rats rump' about what a bunch of outsiders think about this.

This needs to stay on the local level. The major problem you have here is your public is most likely not going to agree with your position during the recession, when many of them are unemployed. It is very hard to feel compassion about your plight when many are reduced to a fraction of what they need to exist. The ones that are most likely to understand the issue were affected in a positive way by what you guys do. Public Image is everything.

Here is another risk about organizing at this juncture.... be prepared for layoffs... They hold the cards at the moment with no guarantees that they will even recognize a local. You can start one, but what if they do not play ball? Many places are tossing the contracts out the window right now, and many more will follow.

When we push our agenda on these issues, we just hurt our image and the public is not on buying it. The public wants to be protected, but if the money isn't there, you're not going to make much progress with "I need more money and better benefits" with so many going down the tubes.

Keep it local and stay positive. Take the high road and wait to organize after you see the outcome on this round. When all else fails, and you have very little to lose, then you go all in.

[GTRider245]

And never forget that it could always be worse.

[spurs716]

It could absolutely be worse. Here in Wilson Co. Tennessee we have not had a pay raise in 7 years. We are paid 34.6% less on average than surrounding departments of similar size. We are also more than 30% understaffed per National Standard. We have a union as well but we are not recognized by the county or state at this time so getting things done politically is usually slow going.