Secretary-Treasurer’s Message

As the 2020-2021 fiscal year winds to a close, I thought I would share with you a summary of where we are and where we are going financially. Our year end is October 31st. As we close in on that date, I can tell you that the Association is in a very strong financial position again this year. Most committees will come in under budget. Monies that were set aside in the budget as carry-over spending from the 2019-2020 budget have not been needed. The reduction in the number of in-person meetings, along with the cancellation of in-person seminars, schools and conventions, make up for the bulk of the unspent funds. However, at the time of writing this article, we have not yet been billed for the legal expenditures incurred over the mandatory vaccination issue. We can anticipate a further rise in grievance spending over the next few months, as this issue continues to evolve. As well, we continue to fight the benefits grievance with the City. Each meeting with an arbitrator has a cost associated to it. We must pay our legal representatives for the preparation of our arguments, as well as covering 50% of the arbitrator’s fees. With online arbitrations, there is a reduction in costs, as we do not need to pay for the space that is customarily rented for in person meetings. Your Association is very aware of the costs and does everything in its power to keep them down. It is very difficult to budget for expenditures like these that vary year-over-year. It is one of the reasons for carrying a significant reserve. We would never want cost to come in the way of something like the benefits grievance, where we are fighting against changes that seem to roll back the benefits that were bargained for in years past. The cost of not fighting these changes far outweigh the legal fees that we are incurring now.

The OPFFA is holding one of the first in-person events that we have attended in the last 18 months. The Fall Education Seminar is scheduled for October 4-7, 2021. In the spirit of continued succession planning, we are sending 7 Executive Officers and 13 Stewards for training. Courses offered include Basic Stewardship, Basic Grievance, WSIB Level 2, and Advanced Bargaining. Our own Education Committee met recently and is working on training that can be provided in-house, so that interested Local 3888 members can begin to learn about the Association and its history. The intent is to make it easier for the future leaders of your Association to get involved. We believe that the money spent on endeavours such as these, is an investment in the future of this great Union.

We recently spent a day with the 96 new Operations recruits, taking the opportunity to discuss all of what their Association provides to them. Many of our Executive Officers were able to attend to provide an overview of our various committees. Each time we swear-in a new class of recruits, regardless of the division, I am impressed with the members that we have gained. It is not difficult to see the potential of future Union leaders amongst these groups. This class is no different. We had recruits asking how they can help in our charitable endeavours. Others, who had been involved in the Union of their previous employment, were asking how they can use their skillset to help their fellow firefighters. As well, in the spring of 2021, 11 Executive Board Officers received certificates in Labour Relations, through Ryerson University and Lancaster House. I feel very strongly that as those of us who are reaching the end of our firefighting and Executive Board careers prepare to step aside, there is a strong, well-educated group ready to take over. You can see it clearly from the new Executive Board Members and Stewards all the way down to the newest recruits. It will be our job to provide all of the training and experience that we can to these members so that they can be prepared to take over when we step down. I will do my part to ensure that significant funding is allotted for learning opportunities and training in our 20212022 budget.

I would also like to take the opportunity to provide you with a summary of the current status of local 3888 staff. Each year, we apply for and receive government funding to hire summer staff through the Canada Summer Jobs program. This year, we received nine weeks of funding for two staff that fall into the category of “youth” (under 25 years). We hired for an IT position and another for general administration. At the end of August, Leanne Zinser retired. She has been a critical part of our team for over five years and her experience and knowledge will be missed immediately. On September 20th, Suzanne Boss returns from her maternity leave and we look forward to her return. We have also been made aware that our accounts coordinator, Beatriz Coniglio, will be retiring at the end of 2021. Beatriz has been with us for 21 years and will leave us with a significant hole to fill. Temporarily, Jordan Luden, our summer administrative staff will be staying on to fill the gap left by Leanne. Jordan comes to us fresh from receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from McGill University. His long-term goal is to become a Toronto Firefighter. His skillset is regularly being leveraged by the entire board.

James Reed, Secretary-Treasurer Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888