Union & Health Issues, Events, Fundraisers & Benefits

• UFA Computer System Repairs
• Upcoming Contract
• Retro $$ Base & Night Shift Info
• Paycheck Discrepancy?
• Hourly First Grade FF Pay Rates
• Increased Take-Home Pay (ITHP)
• Senator Clinton Continues to Step Up for FFs
• City Hall Rally for Public Safety
• Multiple Disaster Responses
• Marshal Base Closing & Reduction of Fire Marshals
• New UFA Website Address
• Timely 65-2 Notifications to UFA
• Cornell Work Survey with UFA Delegates Begins
• Companies Relocated While Health Hazards Are Assessed
• Correcting Firehouse & Firefighting Safety Hazards
• Rodents in Your Firehouse?
• Line of Duty Funeral Fund Update
• Eight New Dept. MRI Facilities for LOD Injuries
• Eyeglass Vouchers
• Prevent Dental Reimbursement Delays

Events, Help, Fundraisers & Benefits:

• Donate FDNY T-Shirts for Our Soldiers Overseas!!!
• Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance Ceremony on 4/13
• Community Mayors Day at Circus for Handicapped Needs Help
• 2nd Annual N.Y. Police & Fire Games in Albany
• FDNY vs. NYPD Hockey Game in Nassau Coliseum
• 9-11 Families Give Back Scholarship Fund at Hockey Game
• FDNY Hockey Raises $250,000 for FD Charities
• Capt. Vincent Fowler One Pitch Softball Tournament
• Holy Name Society Scholarship Requests (must submit by 4/16)
• E-280 L-132 Fund Raiser Harley Davidson Raffle

Upcoming Contract
The recently ratified contract expired May 31, 2002. The Battalion Advisory Committee met on Friday, March 14 at UFA Headquarters to discuss plans for upcoming contract negotiations, and other important member issues. The City has recently asked the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) for $600 million in givebacks. The UFA Executive Board’s response is NO.

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Retro $$ Base & Night Shift Info
The UFA has received several calls regarding the discrepancy between the UFA actuary’s previously published first grade base retro dollar amount ($11,245) and what the correct figure is ($10,958). The original figure was calculated as if you were paid for working through 2/28, which is incorrect. Previous charts showing estimated retro base pay did not factor in the one week lag-time between when all city employees work and when they are all paid. Retroactive first grade pay in your 2/28/03 paycheck includes all retroactive base and night shift pay accrued from 6/1/00 through 2/8/03. Your new increased bi-weekly base and night shift pay earned after 2/8/03 was reflected in the 2/28 paycheck (‘amount earned this period’ sect.) and will be included regularly in all future paychecks. Night shift retro varies depending on your time employed and longevity. OT is calculated on OT worked between 6/1/00 & 2/15/03. ‘Other’ also includes all OT & differentials (including CFR & Chauffeur) due to unavailable space. FDNY Payroll has confirmed that all retiree retro checks will arrive by March 31.

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Paycheck Discrepancy?
Members claiming payroll discreprancies must submit a Payroll Inquiry Form, pay stub copy and supporting TPR copy to the Payroll Section at Metrotech. Department Orders (DO) define the specific time periods for which OT is reflected in each paycheck. Insure you check DOs prior to filing an inquiry.

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Hourly First Grade FF Pay Rates
First grade FFs now earn $29.46 an hour straight time, $40.26 an hour OT, and $44.17 an hour on Night Shift OT (Probies earn $19.31 straight time, $26.49 on OT, and $29.14 on Night Shift OT). A chart showing hourly pay rates for all FF and Marshal grades will be published to the membership shortly.

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Increased Take-Home Pay (ITHP)
The City began on 2/28/03 picking up an additional 2.5% of your pension contributions (to your 414h account), lessening the amount you pay by that amount. However, effective with the 2/28/03 paycheck, the retroactive ITHP owed (since October 2000) was deposited into your 414h pension account, and future ITHP will now show up in each paycheck. If you would like to keep contributing this 2.5% into your 414h account, in addition to the City’s new contributions, it will increase your pension and reduce the tax deducted from your current salary each pay period. You must fill out the I.T.H.P. Waiver form and submit it to the NYCFD Pension Fund Subchapter 2 at Metrotech in order to do this. However, if you already previously submitted an ITHP Waiver form to increase your pension, it is not necessary to submit it again -- the ITHP will automatically go into your 414h pension account. See the special Firelines reprint distributed to your Delegate at the March 13 General Membership Meeting, which describes the ITHP Waiver benefits in detail.

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Senator Clinton Continues to Step Up for FFs
Senator Clinton has been an asset to the UFA for working closely with us on many important issues to firefighters, as well as for 9-11 families. This includes securing the $90 million ($25 Million solely for firefighters) for post WTC medical monitoring, homeland security funding for FDNY and also helping address various 9-11 family issues from Washington. We look forward to Senator Clinton’s continued support on these and many other issues that are critical to FFs and their families.

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City Hall Rally for Public Safety
The UFA and UFOA took part in a rally on March 12 in City Hall Park with numerous City Council Members. The event attracted over several thousand FFs and civilians. The following message was clearly delivered to the audience and media by City Council Speakers, the UFOA and UFA President Steve Cassidy: NYC continues to be the #1 terrorist target in the world. Any reduction of fire services in NYC is unconscionable, and will unnecessarily risk innocent lives. We will continue to push in City Hall, Albany and Washington for the added resources the FDNY needs to keep firehouses open so we can adequately protect the public, and ourselves, during these incredibly dangerous times.

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Multiple Disaster Responses
In light of recent major incidents from Rhode Island to Staten Island, the UFA continues its large media presence to deliver the message that we cannot properly handle large multiple disasters simultaneously at our current manning levels, and it would be a huge disaster if the City cut manning and closed firehouses at a time when the City is the number one terrorist target and we are its first line of defense.

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Marshal Base Closing & Reduction of Fire Marshals
Last month, 38 Fire Marshals were returned to the firehouse, though still keeping their FM rank and pay. This reduction forced the closing of the Bronx FM Base. UFA Fire Marshal Rep. Ed Burke was featured on ABC & NBC TV News, in the Daily News and N.Y. Post discussing the recent Rhode Island night club fire and the increased dangers to NYC caused by the reduction of Fire Marshals. He noted how the City eliminated its Social Club Task Force last year and cut its Fire Marshal staffing in half. He commented that existing reductions in Fire Marshals are increasing the likelihood that similar tragedies could happen here. He pointed to the fact that reduced Fire Marshal services in NYC can and will have serious consequences.

Also, reduced fire investigations will likely contribute to an increase of fire insurance payouts, and premiums. Jim Slevin, Ed Burke, Steve Cassidy and our counsel recently met with the N.Y. State Insurance Commissioner to discuss the feasibility of insurance companies contributing premium revenues to pay for fire investigations in NYC, much like the insurance industry now pays for the FDNY supervised Fire Patrol (FP) companies (because FP saves the insurance industry $$). The UFA will continue to use whatever available means to improve this situation.

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New UFA Website Address
The new UFA website address is www.UFANYC.org. Note: The old address (www.ufalocal94.org) still works.

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Timely 65-2 Notifications to UFA
Members wishing to have information published in a 65-2 must insure that it is received at the UFA Recording Secretary’s office at least 30 days prior to the event. Sooner if possible. Late submissions may prevent publishing on time. Other than the exception of working around recent computer related mailing issues, it is our objective to use Fax 65-2s primarily for time sensitive notices, or to reiterate important messages previously mailed. We’ve included info from many of the past month’s 65-2 Faxes in this report to insure you receive this information. The UFA has established the following for 65-2 submissions: fax the Recording Secretary’s office direct at 212-683-4359, or email to 652@UFANYC.org. Please make a quick call to the UFA Recording Secretary’s office for Denise to verify we received it.

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Cornell Work Survey with UFA Delegates Begins
The UFA Health & Safety Office and Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations began its initial phase in surveying our membership to help improve our work environment and other conditions. On February 27th & 28th a pre-test survey was taken by over 70 participating Delegates, who contributed recommendations and suggestions. The overall response was very positive. The UFA would like to thank those Delegates that participated in helping the UFA’s efforts to improve the health, safety and work environment of our members. Companies were selected randomly to participate. If your company is chosen to participate, either your Trustee or the Health and Safety Office will contact your Delegate. It is extremely important that everyone who is selected take the survey. More details to follow.

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Companies Relocated While Health Hazards Are Assessed
The FDNY Safety Unit, UFOA and UFA are working together on this project, sharing info and conducting further testing in a sincere effort to identify problems and to determine actual causes. Two Brooklyn companies in a questionable house were recently relocated to firehouses in the immediate area until further notice. The UFA will keep the membership informed of any updates or progress on these issues.

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Correcting Firehouse & Firefighting Safety Hazards
Continue to document all hazardous conditions by notifying your officer and your company Delegate with written documentation to the UFA Health & Safety Office. Once notified, the Department must correct it. The only way we can enforce this is with documented proof. This gives us the ammunition we need to continually and successfully protect you.

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Rodents in Your Firehouse?
The UFA has received complaints from over 40 firehouses with rat and mice problems. If your firehouse has rodent problems requiring an exterminator that are not being addressed satisfactorily by the Department, notify your delegate and fax the info to the UFA Health & Safety Office at 212-683-4768.

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Line of Duty Funeral Fund Update
The fund has sent 10 FF’S to five LOD out of state funerals since October. The Fund has sent the following members: FF Bob Ingenice & FF Tom McMahan E251 (Baker City, OR); FF Warren Terry L115 & FF Josh Gallo E258 (Dallas, TX); FF Charles Guttmen L128 & FF Stephen Plante E259 (San Francisco, CA); FF Glen Taylor & FF Joseph Cataldi E260 (Springfield, IL); FF Steven Cycan E261 & FF Billy Russell L116 (Santa barbara, CA). They reported that the deepest of gratitude was expressed by families and friends of these fallen firefighters because FDNY members attended. The Executive Board thanks the above FFs for representing the membership. The Committee will be increasing the # of FF’s sent to each funeral from 2 to 4. For more info about the Fund or a copy of the by-laws, please contact Tom DaParma or Ann Elizabeth at 212-683-4832.

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Eight New Dept. MRI Facilities for LOD Injuries
TIn response to your repeated requests that the Department provide members with more than one location for LOD injury MRIs and UFA follow-up in Labor-Management meetings, the Department has added additional authorized MRI facilities for our LOD injury members as follows:

• MANHATTAN
  
  MRI-CT Scanning of Manhattan (Medical Resources, Inc.)
  195 Third Ave. (17th & 18th Street) 212-982-1132, Fax 212-979-2221 Open MRI, Closed on weekend
  
  
• BROOKLYN
  
  Narrows MRI & Diagnostic Radiology (Metropolitan Diagnostic) 9920 Fourth Ave, Room 105 (99th & 100th Street) 718-921-0333, Fax 718-921-0490 Closed MRI with short bore, Open Saturday
  
  
• QUEENS
  
  Queens Diagnostic (Metropolitan Diagnostic)
  69-15 Austin St. (69th & Yellowstone Blvd.) Forest Hills 718-544-5100, Fax 718-575-1926 Closed MRI, Open Saturday
  
  
• BRONX
  
  Westchester Square Imaging (Medical Resources, Inc.)
  2475 St. Raymonds Ave. (corner of St. Peters Ave.) 718-931-6525, Fax 718-931-2021 Open MRI, Open Saturday
  
  
• STATEN ISLAND
  
  Health Management Corporation of America
  651 Willowbrook Rd. (Victory Blvd. & SI Expressway) 718-370-7770, Fax 718-698-3613 Open MRI, Closed weekends
  
  
• NASSAU COUNTY
  
  Horizon Medical Imaging, P.C.
  260 West Sunrise Hwy, Ste 202 (off Mill Road) Valley Stream 516-791-4600, Fax 516-791-4149 Closed MRI, On Saturday
  
  
• SUFFOLK COUNTY
  
  Open MRI at Smith Haven (Medical Resources, Inc.)
  3400 Nesconset Hwy., Ste 104 (off Technology Drive) E. Setauket 631-689-5252, Fax 631-689-5934 Open MRI, Open Saturday
  
  
• WESTCHESTER COUNTY
  
  Inter-County Imaging (Medical Resources, Inc.)
  955 Yonkers Ave., Rm 14 (Cross County Pkwy) Yonkers 914-776-7700, Fax 914-776-7789 Closed MRI with short bore, Open Saturday

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Fraternally,

Joseph A. Miccio
Recording Secretary,

Stephen J. Cassidy
President