NATIONAL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR FIRE FIGHTERS

The House of Representatives passed our top legislative priority, national collective bargaining, as part of a supplemental appropriation bill. The issue now goes to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to consider our proposal in July either as part of this supplemental appropriation or as a free-standing bill.

WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW!!!

We need every CPFF member to ask their senators to stand with America's fire fighters. It is imperative that you contact both Colorado senators and encourage them to support the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act when it comes for a vote in July. Senator Michael Bennet has not committed to the bill even after several discussions with the CPFF!  We fear that he will succumb to the pressure of the Municpal League, despite successfully working with Denver Fire Fighters in the past.

OUR ENEMIES ARE WORKING AGAINST FIRE FIGHTERS

Our opponents are working hard against us. The anti-labor National Right to Work Committee, Municipal League, and city managers are working the phones. We MUST respond. Tell Sen. Bennet that America's fire fighters and police officers deserve a voice in the workplace. Ask Sen. Bennet to support Colorado's first responders and vote for our bill.

This email will be sent directly to Sen. Bennet's Chief of Staff. Please feel free to change the text, but be respectful. This is a very important & long over due step for fire fighters. Please ask all of your friends to send this email too! Click Here to send it.

In honor of our fallen brother Brian Kopp South Metro Local 2164 will be hosting a golf tournament. It will be held at the beautiful Inverness Golf Club on July 12th and monies raise will be donated to the Brian Kopp Memorial Fund to benefit families of fire fighters who have lost their lives.Download the flyer below.

President Obama's 2011 budget reconizes the importance and the deficiencies in America's fire service. He has proposed;

• $305 million for SAFER (Congress expected to add an additional $500 million to save fire fighter jobs)
• $305 million FIRE Act
• $28 million USAR
• $2 billion to state and local governments to improve emergency response capabilities

The budget will go before congess where the IAFF and affiliates willall have to work hard to get even more money to ensure fire fighters can operate safely and effectively.

This critical funding demonstrates the need to stay politically active.

DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Supreme Court has upheld a decision by a judge to put a hold on most of a voter-approved ban on some political contributions, siding with unions and nonprofit groups that challenged it as unconstitutional.

The high court agreed with Denver District Judge Catherine Lemon that provisions of Amendment 54 are unconstitutionally overbroad, vague and violate equal protection.

The court said Monday the amendment cannot be fixed because removing the unconstitutional sections leaves it meaningless. The court sent the case back to the judge, saying further review is needed.

Lemon issued a ruling last year throwing out Amendment 54, which bars anyone tied to businesses that hold at least $100,000 in no-bid government contracts from contributing to political candidates.

It also barred all unions that negotiate for government workers from making campaign contributions and required that the state publish a list of all companies that were awarded contracts without going through a bidding process.

The amendment was approved by 51 percent of the voters in 2008.

Lemon said the measure violated unions' constitutional rights of freedom of speech and equal protection under the law by banning political contributions by any political committee created or controlled by a covered union while not prohibiting contributions by political committees that are created or controlled by businesses.