New York Fire Fighter Locals Overwhelmingly Endorse Kerry for President

Khephra

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Wed Sep-01-04 12:45 PM
Original message

New York Fire Fighter Locals Overwhelmingly Endorse Kerry for President

Edited on Wed Sep-01-04 12:46 PM by khephra

(I wonder how this will effect Bush's NY firehouse visit? It could be really interesting.)

(Press Release)

FDNY Officers, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, White Plains
Among Over 100 Local Affiliates in the NYSPFFA to Endorse John Kerry

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional Fire Fighters from
across the State of New York recently gathered in Binghamton for their Annual
Convention. By a huge plurality they endorsed John Kerry for President. New
York State Professional Fire Fighters Association President Charles J. Morello
issued this statement on the endorsement:

Fire fighters' support of Kerry is based on the records of the two
candidates, which couldn't be more different when it comes to delivering for
fire fighters in New York and across the country.

George Bush failed to direct homeland security funding after 9/11 to high-
threat areas, leading to an unexplainable discrepancy in homeland security
funding of $5.42 per capita in New York, versus $37.94 for Wyoming in 2003.

Bush also opposed funding the FIRE Act, and in fact had to be forced by
Congress to provide any funding in its first two years, which provides local
fire departments with the resources they need. He continues to oppose a
program, which would add fire fighters in two-thirds of communities across the
country that have an inadequate number of fire fighters. His 2005 budget cuts
homeland security funding for first responders by $700 million from current
levels, and Bush actively opposes collective bargaining rights for all fire
fighters. And when it comes to all workers, our country's lost over 2 million
jobs, including thousands of hi-tech jobs from New York, which have been sent
overseas, health care costs are up, and fewer people are covered.

Compare that to John Kerry's over 20-year record of supporting first
responders. He authored the Father Mychal Judge Act to hire 100,000 fire
fighters. John Kerry is an original co-sponsor of our national collective
bargaining bill, he co-sponsored the establishment of the FIRE Act and has
supported fully funding the program, year after year, even as George W. Bush
zeroed out the program.

In addition to the support for NYSPFFA's endorsement of Kerry by virtually
every local in the state, the International Association of Fire Fighters
Executive Board unanimously voted to endorse John Kerry in September 2003.
Since that time, the union's members have become a mainstay at Kerry events
across the country, from the earliest days of the primaries to the latest
campaigning in the battleground states where this election will really be
decided.

The NYSPFFA represents approximately 20,000 fire fighters and paramedics
in New York State. It is an affiliate of the IAFF headquartered in
Washington, D.C. The IAFF is the 16th largest union among the 64 nation
unions that make up the AFL-CIO/CLC, representing more than 267,000
professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80
percent of the population on the continent. More than 2,900 affiliates keep
safe nearly 6,000 communities in every state in the U.S. and in every region
in Canada. The IAFF is one of the most active lobbying organizations in
Washington and its Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, is in the top 1% of
all PACs.

SOURCE International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO
Web Site: http://www.iaff.org