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Federal Presumptive Legislation Introduced in Senate
August 3, 2007 – Legislation granting disability retirement benefits to federal fire fighters who contract certain illnesses on the job has been introduced in the United States Senate. S. 1924, the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, was introduced by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and John Warner (R-VA). The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that federal fire fighters who become disabled by heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases contracted such illnesses on the job.
Companion legislation to S. 1924 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year by Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Jo Ann Davis (R-VA). That bill, H.R. 1142, currently has more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors. “Support for the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act is stronger today than it has been in any previous Congress,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Such strong support is evidence of the influence of our union and the rightness of our cause.” To date, more than 40 states have recognized that certain illnesses are occupational hazards of fire fighting, and have enacted laws presuming that such illnesses are job-related for the purposes of workers compensation and disability retirement unless proven otherwise. IAFF Members are encouraged to contact their senators and urge them to cosponsor S. 1924. For more information about the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, and to check if your senators cosponsor S. 1924, click here.
Companion legislation to S. 1924 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year by Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Jo Ann Davis (R-VA). That bill, H.R. 1142, currently has more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors. “Support for the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act is stronger today than it has been in any previous Congress,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Such strong support is evidence of the influence of our union and the rightness of our cause.” To date, more than 40 states have recognized that certain illnesses are occupational hazards of fire fighting, and have enacted laws presuming that such illnesses are job-related for the purposes of workers compensation and disability retirement unless proven otherwise. IAFF Members are encouraged to contact their senators and urge them to cosponsor S. 1924. For more information about the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, and to check if your senators cosponsor S. 1924, click here.
Cutting benefits and unionization will not fix what ails Michigan
Labor union members in Michigan find themselves injected into a debate about how to fix Michigan's economy and make our state more "competitive." Some voices suggest that there are too many union members. These voices say unions are too strong, and our wages and benefits make our employers uncompetitive. These comments lead to suggestions to cut workers' benefits and pass legislation such as right-to-work laws, which reduce wages and weaken collective bargaining.Read the rest of the Detroit News article Here
Cancer Risk Twice as High for Firefighters
PATRICK GALLAHUE and LEELA de KRETSER The New York Post New York's Bravest are fighting more than just fires, according to a new study of 110,000 of firefighters worldwide that found they face up to twice the risk of dying from certain types of cancer. After analyzing statistics on 20 different kinds of cancer, University of Cincinnati researchers revealed that firefighters developed 10 of those deadly diseases more frequently than any other type of worker.
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