My Vision for our District
The job of a District Vice President is a complex one. You are the front-facing voice of the District, representing all of our members and navigating the IAFF Executive Board and IAFF Headquarters to bring back the resources locals need in order to be successful.
I believe serving as a Local and State President has uniquely positioned me for this role. Working in both Madison and with our affiliates has given me a clear perspective on the challenges faced by locals of all sizes. In this role, I execute the nuts and bolts of union work on a daily basis – contract negotiations, grievances, mediations, arbitrations, discipline, and whatever is necessary to have our members’ backs.
As State President, I have led a team of talented and skilled board members to advance the interests of firefighters and paramedics through legislation, provide and deliver services throughout the State, and have greatly expanded the resources we are able to provide to our local leaders.
My experience has given me a clear vision of how we will keep our district united, rising, and thriving!
Build and Lead a Team
Our district is full of incredibly knowledgeable, experienced leaders. We need to tap into that resource! To provide the level of service our members deserve, it will require a team of motivated, knowledgeable and empowered field representatives. Our team will touch every corner of our district! We will implement a plan to:
Put our best and brightest to work for YOU
Emphasize efficient and responsive service delivery to all corners of the 5th District
Strategically deploy resources using field representatives from your area, that know your issues
Regularly meet as a team for training and information sharing
Communication
The key to our success as a district is to have clear communication. We are all better when we know about what is happening in the district, what challenges our members are facing, and what our IAFF is doing to assist. Improving our communication will grow our leaders, allow us to hear how we can improve, and help us all deliver services to our members.
I will implement the following:
Create a local officers communication portal that will allow our members to access contracts, share successes that they have had, and ask any questions.
Create an easily accessible clearinghouse for comparable data to aid locals in contract negotiations.
Virtual Happy Hour - a quarterly, district wide zoom call where I will give a report from the IAFF Executive Board meeting, we will hear state legislative and legal reports, hear from you and your locals, have Q&A, and network with each other.
Enhance our social media to further highlight the good work that our members are doing across the district.
Expanded Education and Training
We face immense challenges as union officers. Our members expect us to be experts in contract bargaining, local and state politics, discipline, and the list goes on. Education is essential so that we can serve our members effectively, and I would make this a priority as DVP.
We will begin a biennial district-wide local officers meeting in the off years of convention. The meetings will include training, education, and networking. The PFFW’s local officers meeting has proven to be beneficial for seasoned and new leaders alike, and I look forward to taking the idea district-wide.
5th District PEP has been a great success in recent years, and I would like to build on that success! We will continue to have PEP every year in the Twin Cities and will expand it. We will add a new leaders day to the agenda that will provide specific training to equip them to face the myriad of challenges the job brings. We will also educate the new leaders on the services that the 5th District provides, and introduce them to our team of service reps.
Training and education will also be part of our quarterly Virtual Happy Hours, and we will discuss pertinent, relevant topics that will help our local officers do their jobs.
Create an Annual Virtual New Member Orientation, introducing them to the IAFF, our state and local organizations, and their role in our success