Something to Hide?
Many will know that a special committee of the IAFF executive board met recently in closed session along with an ethics attorney to review some of General President Harold Schaitberger’s ethical conflicts.
The special committee apparently developed a written report that was then discussed by the full executive board also in a closed session.
After the closed session ended and the executive board was again in regular order, a discussion ensued suggesting that the report included a recommendation to review IAFF ethics policy and procedure.
It is reported that at least one member of the executive board stated that releasing the report now, with its recommendation for an ethics review,would look bad so close to the upcoming convention.
What is the Board Hiding From the Members?
IAFF leadership are in their current “pickle” because they no longer answer to the dues paying members. The general president ignores the executive board except when it suits him and the board has completely forfeited their oversight role having become the labor equivalent of the palace eunuchs of Imperial China.
There is no better example of an organization’s leadership running amok then their refusal to release ethical findings.
They have forgotten, if they ever knew, that it is the members, especially the convention delegates, who chart the course of our union.
Withholding the ethics report on the eve of the convention simply confirms that the current IAFF leadership is ethically deficient and that stronger ethical safeguards are critically needed.
The Importance of Transparency
The truth is that the workings of the IAFF are now hidden from the view of state/provinicial and local leaders.
This is true not only for the IAFF itself, but also where the IAFF Foundation, IAFF Financial Corporation and other programs are concerned.
The way forward for our union is through increased transparency at all levels.
Transparency makes it more difficult to cook up deals where friends get IAFF business as opposed to the business going to the best provider at the lowest cost.
There are third world banana republics with better ethics than the IAFF.
It’s time to change that.
It’s time to clean up our house.
IAFF Resolution 10 is needed now more than ever.
Care About Ethics and the Survival of Our Union?
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