NEMSA WINS IN OREGON

[hugopreuss]

Final numbers are at this time of this writing not yet in, but it is clear that the ATU (a bus drivers union) took such serious pounding from NEMSA that it finds itself in asystole in the Portland, OR AMR election. The result will effect more than fivehundred AMR EMT's and paramedics.

Less than 90 employees voted for the ATU, the incumbent union, and more than 270 ems professionals chose to mark their ballot for NEMSA, giving NEMSA a solid majority.

The area covered by the bargaining unit include AMR operations in the greater Portland area and also parts of Washington state via the the Vancouver, WA. area

That means that in less than a year and a half, NEMSA now represents EMS professionals in California, Indiana, Oregon and Washington with more to come.

[cosgrojo]

NEMSA has been trying to garner support in the Northeast as well. They have come into AMR to try and wisk them away from our current regime of representation. I, and just about everyone else, dislikes our current union. We have no solid representation, but when NEMSA came up to present themselves, they did not acquit themselves well. When asked what they would do that our current union doesn't do, they basically ran around the question and settled on the tried and true statement, "well your union sucks." Well duh...

Empty promises without spelling out the promises, don't impress me. But most people are so desperate for a change they'll take anything different. Be careful the Devil you don't know.... but then again, the Devil we do know sucks pretty bad...

[Dustdevil]

Thanks for that info, Cosgro. You just addressed the question that immediately came to my mind, which is, what is the root cause of this revolution? Is the ATU doing a poor job? Has the NEMSA established such a stellar record that they have shown themselves to be the clear choice? If so, what have they done that any other union hasn't done? And if not, then wtf is this all about?

Sounds wankerish to me. A bunch of people just like the sound of the NEMSA name better than the ATU name.

Ever think that if we stopped being labour and became professionals, we wouldn't have to deal with this issue?

[cosgrojo]

You're right Dust... the question is why change? The answer is plain and simple apathy. Most are not knowledgeable enough about their current representatives to make a cogent decision. Those most vociferous about the change have perceived some misdeed done to them by the current union. All the others are just going along with it because they have no opinion of their own. Not a single rep from NEMSA could answer a questions about what they plan to change at AMR. Part of the problem is that AMR runs rampant over our current union (IAEP) and pretty much snubs their nose at many of the CBA agreements. NEMSA seems to think that they can reverse that trend... but I wonder.

NEMSA.... it does role of the tongue better than IAEP.... I vote for NEMSA!!!!

[hugopreuss]

Point taken. However, out here in California, Oregon, Washington and Indiana NEMSA did not win every election, usually with a massive majority, because NEMSA rolls off the tongue better than SEIU, NAGE, IAEP, Teamsters and now ATU ( those were all the union NEMSA took on and left in agonal respirations ).

NEMSA took on these unions and won because NEMSA has to offer what other Wal-Mart size unions ( no pun intended here! ) don't.

First, NEMSA is 100%, no ifs, ands, or butts, EMS only. No other union can claim that. IAEP is just a small division of NAGE and NAGE in return is part of SEIU.

Second, because of that, NEMSA's only focus is on EMS and that makes sense to EMS professionals. Hey, ER Docs are not bad physicians. That doesn't mean you'd have them do your heart transplant. A specialist would be a better idea ( If you don't believe that, then you shoulnd't work on a bus.)

Third, NEMSA has a definitive agenda for the future of EMS because everyone at NEMSA is EMS. The other unions don't and aren't. ( for details, go visit NEMSA on their website at www.nemsausa.org ) and no, I'm not evading the point, just check the facts for yourself.

I find id hard to believe that over 4000 NEMSA members, spanning nearly 16 different ambulance companies, chose NEMSA because it rolls off the tongue better or because there was little to no difference between NEMSA and the other unions. If that were the case, NONE of the EMT's and paramedics that voted in those elections should be practicing pre-hospital medicine.

Respectfully,

Hugo

[Dustdevil]

First, NEMSA is 100%, no ifs, ands, or butts, EMS only. No other union can claim that. IAEP is just a small division of NAGE and NAGE in return is part of SEIU.

In other words, you are now left without the support of any other professions in your corner. Nice.

Second, because of that, NEMSA's only focus is on EMS and that makes sense to EMS professionals.

EMS professionals is an oxymoron. Professionals don't need a labour union.

Third, NEMSA has a definitive agenda for the future of EMS because everyone at NEMSA is EMS.

Yep. And that agenda is to make sure you remain labour instead of becoming professionals, which would leave them without a job.

Dude, get real. They certainly haven't been able to explain what their agenda is to anybody. No union has a vision for the future of any profession. I've never even heard one to claim to. Their goal is to perpetuate their own existence. Their only vision is for the immediate, short sighted concerns of workers they represent. So long as whatever change that comes along benefits their paying members, they don't give a rats ass what happens to the profession as a whole, or to the citizens the profession serves.

[cosgrojo]

Dude, get real. They certainly haven't been able to explain what their agenda is to anybody. No union has a vision for the future of any profession. I've never even heard one to claim to. Their goal is to perpetuate their own existence. Their only vision is for the immediate, short sighted concerns of workers they represent. So long as whatever change that comes along benefits their paying members, they don't give a rats ass what happens to the profession as a whole, or to the citizens the profession serves.

Not to mention that the unions have a bad habit of ferociously defending those employees who are the constant trouble-makers and when a relatively clean slated up-standing employees with a real problem comes along, they don't resolve any of their issues. I doubt that NEMSA, or anyone else is going to change that fact about the unions.

Hugo- it may be that they outline their accomplishments and "vision" for the future of EMS on their web-site.... but when you are courting a new area and the representatives that you trust to garner new support in that area are not familiar with, or able to intelligently discuss, the differences of the current union and themselves, it doesn't speak well to their organization. They might have a decent idea of where they want everything to head, but their organization needs to be tightened up and they need to clearly define what they're after. Not all EMS people are going to blindly follow just because a new union is reaping the benefits of their relative novelty.

[hugopreuss]

I thank you both for your comments and although we disagree, I'm glad some out there have at least opinions.

Look, I'm not saying that NEMSA is the second coming of the Messia. But I have seen change begin to happen in our little corner of the world. Shop stewards that answer the phone and actually get training. Reps that actually answer the phone and know what their doing (so far). Reps comming around the stations visiting crews on a regular basis. We've never had even those things before with big,bad SEIU.

My point in regards to the relationship between union and professionalism is this. Before The IAFF became one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington DC., the modern "professional firefighter" was just a fireman, a blue collar vocation. The same is true for nurses. I've had the opportunity to speak to CNA (California Nurses Association) representatives. And they plain told me that until 1. Men got involved in the nursing "profession" and got things moving in the political sector via the union, that nurses were essentially just chaimbermaids. To this day, to get your RN you don't need to get a four year degree. Nursing is still a vocation. But because of the IAFF and organizations like the CNA, both Firefighters and nurses are considered "professions" when in fact their still just vocations at their basic level ( Excluding degrees in FS or BSN, MSN, etc).

Try and take on either groups politically and your dead, just ask Arnold.

I personally disagree with CNA's politics, way too far on the left end of the spectrum, and I felt the same way about SEIU's IAEP. Why should my union dollar go to promote statehood for the Dominican Republic or to advance the gay and lesbian agenda ( that is a private matter that has nothing to do with EMS ) or end up in the coffers of Rainbow/Push or the ACLU?

NEMSA aims to be to EMS what the IAFF is to the firefighter and as much as I disagree with fire doing transports, I can certainly see what the IAFF has done for their membership.

Think about his, out here, if you're 18 years old and have a highschool diploma and spend only six months in a fire" academy" you can have a job for life with a starting salary of around 80.000 dollars a year.

College graduates rarely get those kind of starts.

I don't speak for NEMSA, but I've spent 15 years in EMS and saw it going nowhere. The folks at NEMSA, at least to us here, have made clear their goals, have followed through with the ones that are attainable at this time and so we have no reason to believe that they won't follow through on the rest.

IAEP has been aroud for what 12-15 years? and done what? We saw the wages they got AMR crews in Los Angeles and their pityful (24.000 starting for EMT's)

We're willing to give NEMSA a shot.

[carl4nemsanw]

We just voted in NEMSA at AMR Northwest 527 ballots mailed 298 for NEMSA 74 for the ATU or 80/20 if that works for you.

A few of the reasons that we switched from the ATU to NEMSA is/are low wages, low 401k, poor vacation, 3 years ago our Paramedics and EMT's were 60% and 90% percent behind our AMR coworkers in Northern California and last year 16 Paramedic and EMT jobs were eliminated and the "savings" (our former wages) were given to 3 local fire departments and the county, the ATU did nothing to stop it. Basically the ATU couldn't or wouldn't keep us up with our AMR co-workers to the south. Currently Paramedics in Portland and SW Washington make California EMT basic wages.

Seven days after NEMSA was officially recognized we had twice as many volunteer NEMSA stewards as we had ATU stewards.

Will NEMSA be better? we'll know in a few months. I do know that the 2 best bargaining units in AMR (San Mateo and NorCal) have already joined NEMSA. It was easy for us we now have over 3,000 AMR employees in the same union from San Francisco to Longview WA how can that be a bad thing. For us and anybody in EMS NEMSA is the only possibility for growth or advancement as a profession. How many unions are EMT's and Paramedics spread across ATU, IAFF, IAEP, SEIU, UAW, NAGE, Teamsters and probably dozens of others what good has it done? When we all worked for mom and pop ambulance companies we were happy that any union would take us but they didn't know what to do with our profession or what to do for us. With NEMSA we dont have that problem anymore. Thats one reason why NEMSA will be better.

Carl

[Dustdevil]

I'm curious if it is a fair comparison.

What is the cost of living in Oregon as compared to Southern California? All things considered, you may be much closer to them than you think.