Firefighters will suspend all financial contributions to Democratic congressional candidates.

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Firefighters will suspend all financial contributions to Democratic congressional candidates.

Irked at Democrats, Firefighters Suspend Federal Contributions
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
April 26, 2011

The nation’s main firefighters’ union, long a strong supporter of Democratic candidates, announced on Tuesday that it would indefinitely suspend all contributions to federal candidates out of frustration with Congressional Democrats who, union officials say, have not fought harder against budget cuts and antiunion legislation.

The union, the International Association of Fire Fighters, said it would focus its contributions and energies on state and local races because many legislatures have sought to curtail collective bargaining or otherwise weaken public-sector unions.

Harold A. Schaitberger, the president of the 300,000-member union, said in an interview that he was dismayed with Democrats in Congress for not fighting harder against Republican budget cuts and efforts to weaken unions in more than a dozen state legislatures.

“We’re tired that our friends have not been willing to stand up and fight back on our behalf with the same ferocity, the same commitment that our enemies have in trying to destroy our members’ rights,” he said. “Quite frankly, our enemies are trying to kill us as a labor movement and union trying to represent workers and help the middle class.”

Read the full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/us/politics/27firefighters.html#

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Fire Fighters Turn off the Spigot
By Mary Bottari
April 27, 2011

Remember when the fight broke out in Wisconsin over the right to collectively bargain and President Obama and a phalanx of national democratic leaders spread out across the country fighting for the rights of American workers?

Right, we don't remember that either.

As unions battled for their very existence, the thunderous silence from Washington, D.C. did not go unnoticed by working families fighting for their livelihoods or by powerful political players. At least one organization has decided to hold a few of their former friends accountable.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, announced yesterday it would no longer be giving money to federal candidates. Rather, the 300,000-member union said it would put its energy and resources into the fight at the state level over collective bargaining.

Read the full article at:

http://prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10682/fire-fighters-turn-spigot

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Press Release

For Immediate Release
April 26, 2011
Contact: Bill Glanz 202 824-1505
202 329-5856 (cell)
Scott Treibitz 703 626-1407 (cell)

IAFF Cutting off Contributions to Federal Candidates, Federal Parties, Committees and Super PACs

Washington, DC – The International Association of Fire Fighters today said it will indefinitely freeze contributions to federal candidates and federal parties, party committees and the super PACs that support them and instead focus on the states, where so many governors and anti-worker lawmakers are pursuing legislation to eliminate collective bargaining rights, gag workers and eliminate dues deduction to weaken union finances.

“We know we have legislative fights, ballot measures and re-call elections that will require us to be on the offensive at the state and local level through this fall. I expect this strategic decision to focus our resources on state and local efforts to last as long as the political and legislative fights in the states continue,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said.

The IAFF in February began a campaign to assist fire fighters and paramedics wage their political and legislative fights in statehouses. The IAFF has helped its members respond to anti-worker legislation in Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee and New Hampshire, using legal resources, television, newspaper, Internet and social media to educate our members and the public and fight back with everything we have.

“The attacks launched at our members since the November 2010 elections have changed the landscape. Extreme right-wing conservative and so-called Tea Party politicians are coming after fire fighters, paramedics and all public workers with a vengeance across the United States, so it’s time to focus our efforts on the states,” Schaitberger said.

The IAFF’s Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, was in the top 1.1 percent of the more than 7,100 federally registered PACs in terms of dollars raised and was the 10th largest PAC in candidate contributions in the last election cycle. It was also one of the most bi-partisan PACs. In total, the IAFF spent close to $15 million in the last election cycle on behalf of federal candidates and both political parties, helping to elect those who support us and defeat those who oppose us.

“Now more than ever, as our adversaries speak and act with a concerted, focused message, we need our friends to respond with similar strength and leadership to beat back the multi-faceted, well-organized assaults the right has launched at us – funded by anti-labor extremists like the multi-billionaire Koch brothers. And while we are fighting for our very survival, our friends aren’t doing enough to fight back -- they don’t have our backs,” Schaitberger said.

The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, represents more than 298,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics in North America and is the leading advocate for the health and safety of fire fighters. More information is available at www.iaff.org
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http://www.iaff.org/Comm/Press/11Press/FIREPAC042611.pdf