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Thoughts from the Treasurer
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By Tom O'Connor, Treasurer | ||||
| Well, there’s a new Chief in town and from what we hear down at headquarters, he is ready to hit the ground running. Which is really good news, considering the daunting tasks ahead of him. Chief Trevino has also made it a point to emphasize the fact that he wants to work with the Union to fix all of our problems, even emphasizing that point in several recent newspaper articles. So on behalf of Local 798, welcome to San Francisco Chief, we look forward to having a positive working relationship...
On other fronts, the contract negotiations still roll on, with a possible MOU to be ratified some time in August or September. We have many more issues other than money, issues like the EMS configuration, the debacle at the Comm Center, vacation and sick leave problems, etc, etc, etc. If only we had it as easy as other City departments where you only had to discuss your next raise... |
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| Speaking of having it easy, the Presidio’s latest plan, “The Rapid Paramedic Response Program (RPRS)” is about to undergo another round of major changes...this time with your Union’s input. Apparently the FIVE EMS Chiefs and TWELVE Rescue Captains at the Presidio couldn’t come up with a plan that makes any operational sense, so Chief Trevino and the Union will be entering into a series of discussions in the next few weeks to come up with a plan that doesn’t overburden our already fragile system with two probies per rig. Chief Trevino understood the problems immediately and put the plan on hold until a SAFE and SENSIBLE program could be implemented. Thank you again Chief Trevino for wanting to work with the Union and for arriving in San Francisco with your common sense still intact. Perhaps we will fix this merger yet...
It looks like budget problems within the SFFD might be rearing their ugly head again, with overtime creating more problems and recent budget cuts enacted by some of our newest members on the Board of Supervisors only compounding those problems. In fact, our equipment budget was so badly slashed that according to some of our Union brothers we are dangerously close to closing companies because there are no relief apparatus left. If not for the hard work and dedication of the Bureau of Equipment we would be in real, real bad shape. Chief Trevino had a great track record in Las Vegas for getting new equipment, let’s see if he can work some magic here. And lastly, good bye and thank you Chief Paul Tabacco. He did a tremendous job under very adverse political circumstances and left the SFFD better than when he started his tenure as Chief...much better. Enjoy your retirement, Paul, and thank you for a job well done. |
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