Union & Health Issues:

• Staten Island Incident
• MLC Health Benefits Agreement
• Contract Update
• Involuntary Details Update
• UFA Answering Service Direct Telephone #
• New UFA Union Shop Workchart Calendar-Packed with New Info!
• 2004 UFA Parking Placards: Important Info!
• CFR-D Ladder Training
• Life Insurance Open Enrollment Summary

Events, Help, Fundraisers & Benefits:

'NYC Firefighters Thank America' Raffle--Win a Porsche!
Widow’s & Children Ski Trip
Ski Races at Hunter Mountain
Family Day at the Circus
New Book by Member to Raise Charity $$

Staten Island Incident
As of today the investigation is being conducted by the Department of Investigation-not the Fire Department Bureau of Investigation and Trials. Two of our members have been put on administrative assignment and one has been suspended without pay. DOI has yet to interview our members. Our counsel will represent our members during these interviews with DOI. Preparations are well underway. Bob Walsh continues to improve.

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MLC Health Benefits Agreement
The Municipal Labor Committee, which negotiates health care benefits on behalf of all City unions, reached an agreement with the City to maintain the hospital & medical benefit programs. The funds generated from this agreement will flow into the Stabilization Reserve Fund, which pays for the PICA drug programs and other benefits to union members throughout the City. It was even reported in the NY Post editorial, "The Mayor got nothing from labor last week when unions agreed to pay more for their own health benefits. That's right; the agreement doesn't save taxpayers money-the savings will go right back to the unions." This was a difficult round of heated negotiations due to the City's sustained insistence that the unions generate $600 million in health benefit givebacks. If the City was successful, the changes sought would have gutted our health benefits plans. The PICA Program - a benefit that provides Psychotropic, Injectibles, Chemotherapy and Asthma medications also would have been jeopardized. When bargaining began, several other municipal unions were advocating to agree with the City to increase co-premiums on our basic health benefits - a giveback that would have cost active & retired members upwards of $700 out-of-pocket annually.

The UFA & PBA together assembled a coalition that included every fire and police union. This increased our leverage inside the MLC, which traditionally is driven by the much larger civilian unions. Our strategy resulted in some highly publicized disagreements between the (fire/police) coalition, the Labor Commissioner and some other union leaders in the MLC. In the end our strategy resulted in the entire MLC rejecting the City's proposed concessions and working together to reach an agreement that does not give a single penny back to City Hall, but does continue to provide solid benefits for our members. We believe that as a result of our efforts and our very public fight, we have been able to limit, and keep to a minimum, health benefit changes in this round. Of the $600 million sought by the City in the givebacks, zero was attained. In fact, The New York Post reported that while the City will save $100 million under the agreement, it "will pay $30 million to keep the workers' prescription-drug program going and another $70 million to shore up the unions' welfare fund, meaning the taxpayers come out even."

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Contract Update
After several meetings with the Battalion Advisory Committee to discuss important related issues, the UFA Executive Board formally presented its 2002 contract demands to the Department during a face-to-face meeting on December 30 with City Labor Commissioner James Hanley. The next dates are scheduled for January 16th & 23rd.

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Involuntary Details Update
While the Lift Grievance continues, the UFA is continuing its work with the assistance of prominent law firm, Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC in its investigation and documentation of the Department's Involuntary Detail (Lift) Policy, which we believe is illegal. The Firm has enjoyed precedent setting verdicts in the area of employment discrimination, with national implications, and has earned a reputation as a leader in the field. They have conducted numerous interviews and documentation of individual members who have volunteered to participate in having their cases investigated. The UFA is waiting for the remaining participants to return their signed affidavits by the end of this week, which is required for the UFAto take action through the federal courts.

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UFA Answering Service Direct Telephone #
If you have any difficulty getting through to the UFA Answering Service for urgencies, please call the direct number at 212-627-9111 -- but only if you cannot get through when using the UFA general number.

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New UFA Union Shop Workchart Calendar-Packed with New Info!
UFA2004 Calendars for each company member were distributed at the January 8th Union Meeting to all Company Delegates. It is designed to give members better access to UFA info and other services. Familiarization with the new flow chart on the rear cover, 'UFA Chain of Command to getting your problems resolved' is an important step towards achieving more productive union activities on your behalf. The UFA Security Benefits Fund (SBF) & Life Insurance section introduces e-mail addresses for getting your Prescription Drug, Optical, Dental, Anesthesia, Hearing Aid, UFA Life Insurance and other SBF questions answered. The FDNY Telephone Numbers Section includes City Medical Plan numbers such as HIP, GHI, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, FDNY's City Medical Plans info, and much more. The UFA Contact Info section includes the UFAweb address, general, legal and PR office numbers. It also includes various UFA fax and email addresses. The Medical Office section includes phone numbers and important info to get Line-of-Duty Prescription Drug $$ reimbursement, and the proper address to give to medical care providers if injured on duty to insure YOU do not receive the bills. The inside front cover includes phone numbers of all companies, battalions, divisions - noting which share quarters. Each month has the workchart and handy info for getting your events published in 65-2s, and also for documenting unresolved work problems. The UFA encourages each member to keep a copy handy!

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2004 UFA Parking Placards: Important Info!
An increase in non-firefighter use of UFA placards in the past caused legitimate concern among law enforcement and traffic agents in respecting firefighter vehicle parking privileges near quarters. In response, new security features were added to our placards to insure OUR vehicles are afforded every courtesy. Members are reminded that the only way to get a Placard is through your company Delegate. Delegates may contact their Borough Trustee if additional placards for members are needed. Delegates that have not returned their company member placard assignment list are asked to fax it to the UFA Recording Secretary's office at 212-683-4359. If a placard is lost or stolen, please insure the member files a complaint report with PD. This is required before being issued a replacement. Any use by unauthorized persons can now be traced back to the original person it was issued to for firehouse and/or law enforcement verification.

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CFR-D Ladder Training
The next Ladder CFR-D class is expected to take place soon. Dates will be announced shortly. Pursuant to our contractual agreements, initial CFR-D training consists of 72 hours classroom instruction plus additional state certification examination sessions - all on OT. Please note this correction to the previously reported 96 hours time which was noted on 65-2 #76 of 2003. A list.pdf of members who signed up is attached. If anyone who has requested training is not on this list, please immediately notify the Recording Secretary's Office, ATTN: Joe Miccio at 212-683-4359 (fax), or email to lists@ufanyc.org.

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Life Insurance Open Enrollment Summary
Open Enrollment for our UFA Life Insurance runs from January 15 to March 15 this year. Don't miss this opportunity for you and your families to get coverage--without having to take a medical exam and blood test! Currently insured members may also increase their coverage without testing as well during this period. UFA Life Insurance literature and info was distributed at the January 8th Union Meeting to all Delegates. Also, additional info is attached to this 65-2. For enrollment questions or more forms, please contact Maria Zingone at (212) 683-4832 or e-mail her at mzingone@ufanyc.org.

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'NYC Firefighters Thank America' Raffle--Win a Porsche!
Remember the thousands of letters, cards and drawings that poured in from kids all around the country after 9-11? More than 150 members from 26 different firehouses participated in the video project "The New York Firefighters ThankAmerica". Raffle proceeds will supplement the production of the video, which was created to thank the hundreds of thousands of school children for their huge outpouring of support and donations. The goal is to produce and send a copy to every elementary school in America. The prize, a classic professional 'Stars & Stripes' detail paint finished Vintage '71 Porsche, is being raffled off at the February Union Meeting (the rescheduled date). Make checks out to ‘West Side Cultural Center’ and mail to: UFA, c/o Ann Elizabeth / Rudy Sanfilippo, 204 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. Raffle stubs will be mailed to contributing members immediately upon receiving your check. We all received this incredible outpouring of support. Please ask your house commissary to invest in a ticket or two, and let's show America's youngest our appreciation!