2009 

Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts

Annual Golf Tounament

Friday, July 24, 2009

                                                Ponkapoag Golf Course • Canton, MA

TEAMS STILL NEEDED

Team Entry Form

Shot Gun Start @ 7:30 AM

TEE SPONSOR FORM

Are payments under the “Quinn Bill” regular compensation under Chapter 21?
“The Quinn Bill” established by G.L. c. 42, § 108L clearly provides that Quinn Bill payments become a permanent part of an individual’s base pay. Therefore, they are included in the new definition of regular compensation. Funding of the Quinn Bill is a separate issue.

Are other so called educational incentives regular compensation under Chapter 21?
If educational incentives for individuals are a permanent part of the base salary, such payments are included in the new definition of regular compensation. If not part of the base salary, no, unless provided for in a collective bargaining agreement or employment contract in effect on May 1, 2009, in which case it will remain regular compensation until the contract expires but no later than July 1, 2012.

Are longevity payments, EMT payments, HazMat payments, Defibrillator payments, Homeland Security payments, Stand-By payments, and other similar payments regular compensation under Chapter 21?
If longevity EMT, Hazardous Material, Defibrillator, Homeland Security, Stand-by payments, and other similar payments are permanent part of base pay, such payments are included in the new definition of regular compensation. If not part of the base salary, no, unless provided for in a collective bargaining agreement or employment contract in effect on May 1, 2009, in which case it will remain regular compensation until the contract expires but no later than July 1, 2012.

Do amounts paid for working holidays for certain public safety personnel continue to be regular compensation?
Yes.

A collective bargaining agreement or employment contract was in effect prior to May 1, 2009. There is no new contract as of July 1, 2009 and the parties are operating under the old agreement until a new one is executed. If a new agreement is executed after July 1, 2009 how will this be assessed under Chapter 21?
If the old contract was in effect prior to May 1, 2009, the successor contract would be effective on the date the old contract expired and payments that were regular compensation will retain that status until the end of the successor contract, but not later than June 30, 2012. Retirement contributions should continue to be withheld while the new contract is being negotiated.

Does the definition of regular compensation impact payments made prior to June 30, 2009?
The new definition of regular compensation established by Chapter 21 does not impact payments made prior to July 1, 2009. Regular compensation status for payments made prior to July 1, 2009 will be determined according to the "old" definition. As a result there will be instances in which a member’s three year average will include regular compensation which is determined under both definitions. For example, regular compensation for June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2008 and for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 will be determined under the "old" definition and regular compensation for July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 will be determined under the definition established by Chapter 21.
PERAC WILL CONTINUE TO POST ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

PERAC Memo on Chapter 21 of the Acts of 2009

President Barack Obama has approved the new rules that govern how fire departments can use funding from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. These changes are especially significant during the economic crisis that has caused widespread layoffs of IAFF members across the country.

The new guidelines will apply to the $210 million that Congress approved for SAFER for Fiscal Year 2009. The IAFF wrote and lobbied for the new provision that was included in HR 2346, the Supplemental Appropriation bill – which was initiated and supported by President Obama – to allow the use of SAFER grant funding to rehire laid-off fire fighters and prevent fire department staffing reductions as a result of the current financial crisis.

With its passage, the bill grants Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano the discretion to waive the rules governing the current SAFER program and make funds available to save IAFF members’ jobs. The IAFF will immediately begin working with DHS to develop new rules that outline how SAFER grants can be used to address the current wave of staffing cuts.

“Changes in this supplemental appropriation extend a lifeline to fire departments across the nation at a time when fire fighters are losing their jobs,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Adequate staffing is the most critical component to effective response and civilian and fire fighter safety.”

SAFER provides money for all departments to increase staffing. The funding is available to all fire departments. Under the original law, passed in 2004, communities could only receive a SAFER grant if they planned to increase fire department staffing levels. Fire fighters hired with SAFER grants had to be retained for at least five years and fire departments couldn’t reduce staffing levels during this period. Those restrictions have combined to prohibit fire departments from using SAFER grants to prevent layoffs, and have discouraged fire departments from applying for SAFER grants during this current economic recession.

The rule changes approved by the president eliminate the language that has prevented using this money to alleviate the need to lay off a fire fighter. In addition, President Obama is proposing $420 million for SAFER in his Fiscal Year 2010 budget.

The IAFF has prepared Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that help explain what the changes mean for your fire department and provide a potential timeline for the new rules to be in place so your department can begin applying for the grants.

Senator Puts Taxing Health Benefits
"On the Table"

Immediate Action Needed to Avoid Tax Hike on Fire Fighters
Call Your Senators Today

The nation's professional fire fighters could see their federal taxes jump under a health care plan being pushed by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate committee that oversees tax policy on Capitol Hill.

Senator Baucus has stated and is fighting in support of a plan to tax employees on the value of their employer-provided health care to pay for an overhaul of the nation's health care system.

If you have health care insurance provided by your employer, as virtually every single IAFF member does, you will be disproportionately taxed by Senator Baucus's plan.

While President Obama campaigned strongly AGAINST such a plan, and has continued to indicate he does NOT support Senator Baucus's proposal to tax health benefits, the plan has support among a number of Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

We need your help and action immediately to fight Senator Baucus's plan! If enacted, the health care tax could cost you several thousand dollars a year.

"We need every IAFF member in the nation to call both of your senators today and tell them not to tax our health benefits," says IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger. "So far, senators are listening to economists and policy wonks rather than working Americans. While we are on the Hill telling the Senate this proposal is a huge mistake, we need your help to derail it. Please contact your senators today to let them know your displeasure with Senator Baucus's plan."

Call and email both of your senators with a simple message: 

"Don't support any health care plan that taxes health care benefits." 

The Senate switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. Simply call this number and ask to be transferred to your senator's office. 

Click here to send your senator an e-mail.