With 48/72 being a hot-button issue again, I have made available the info from 2008's 48/72 discussions. Currently, this is not new content. As needed, I will post any new info that is pertinent to these discussions as the E-Board wants. All old items will be marked with "2008" in the heading. Please make sure that anything you want posted in this section is brought through the proper channels and not forwarded to me. I will not post anything I am not asked to by website/union admins and I will not do the legwork to get it to them.

Jason Lombard

Brothers,

Today 12/16 management released a list of transfers for all districts. Many of those affected have valid issues with this list. The executive board has noticed some interesting facts concerning the method of which these transfers have been applied and are currently working the issue. No further information can be posted here at this time so that we do not compromise our position. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 Union Dues Increase

At the January 2011 meeting a discussion to increase the locals dues came to the floor.  The President requested to have a motion ready for the next scheduled business meeting.  At the April 25th and 26th meetings a motion to increase the locals dues to 1% of the base pay for a GS-7 step1 ($15.00).  The motion received a second and some discussion from the floor.  The motion passed at both meetings. The locals dues will increase upon completion of the proper forms and submitting them to DFAS. 

Joe Krieger

Secretary/Treasurer

Posted 4-18-2011

	Pay and Benefits Watch
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011	Subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter

Federal employees worried about the here and now for their pay and benefits might have a tough time thinking ahead to retirement and planning a savings strategy, especially when additional budget cuts are in the cards.

President Obama on Wednesday outlined his $4 billion deficit reduction plan, and while it does not include specific proposals affecting federal pay, a senior administration official said, "the president does recognize that we will have to do savings in some of the nonhealth mandatory spending programs. That category includes" pay and benefits.

Even so, because April is Financial Literacy Month, the Thrift Savings Plan is pressing ahead to encourage workers at all levels of government to focus on preparing their finances for retirement. Employees who already are facing a two-year pay freeze can make minor changes that won't break their personal budgets.

For example, federal employees who have other financial responsibilities such as mortgage payments or education loans still can build their retirement savings with small contributions. TSP participants who save at least 5 percent of their basic pay are eligible for a 4 percent agency match and a 1 percent automatic agency contribution.

Workers also can make little changes in their day-to-day spending habits to see long-term savings benefits. Eliminating $7 worth of carry-out coffee each week and contributing that money to the TSP instead could yield $30,546 in savings after 30 years.

Government employees who consider saving for retirement a daunting task now have a helpful planning tool at their disposal. The Federal Ballpark E$timate calculator allows workers covered under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System to figure out how much to save to ensure a comfortable retirement.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the tool, the calculator can benefit federal employees with only a few years of government service, as well as those at later stages of their federal tenure. It does not provide an annuity estimate, however. OPM also offers guidance on for completing required fields, such as service computation date and retirement age.

New Bill numbers for two of our important issues.

H.B. 1066 Federal Fire Fighter Presumptive Disability

H.B. 1068 Federal Fire Fighter Pay Equity Act (Adjusts our retirement calculation to include the 38 hours of overtime)

on 3/14/2011 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

We will keep track of the progress of these bills and other bills as they are introduced.

Joe Krieger

Secretary / Treasurer F-25

Tidewater Federal Firefighters

Mesothelioma and Firefighters

Here is a submission from a Caveat Lectores reader. Matthew Phillips is a student at the University of Central Florida. He is aspiring writer with a passion for people's health. This Rant is about asbestos exposure of public safety employees. It is worth a read. The Lector will consider all submissions for publication.

“The heat is unbearable. But the firefighters arrive just in time. They reduce the flames and before long the situation is under control. Then come the paramedics, ready to attend to seared lungs and surface burns. Police officers tape off the area and manage the crowd of worried neighbors. Heroes. All of them.

Little do they know the dangers that float through the air and cling to their clothes as they work.

In older buildings and homes, manufacturers used a natural mineral called asbestos. It can still be found in dry wall and in insulation in those homes. Asbestos is fire-resistant and heat-resistant, and was supposed to make a lot of homes safer for a lot of people.

Today, when those homes are disturbed, for example, as you break down the walls of a burning building, asbestos fibers are released into the air. When inhaled, they may cause a deadly cancer to attack the lungs: mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma symptoms can include shortness of breath and chest heaviness. These symptoms subtle and are often confused with other more common, more treatable diseases. Even worse, mesothelioma symptoms are subject to extremely long latency periods, often for nonexistent for up to 50 years. By then, the cancer has metastasized and treatment is either difficult or impossible. The life expectancy of mesothelioma victims is incredibly short.

The government has taken measures to protect professionals like firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement officers from asbestos exposure. Though they passed laws, like 1971's OSHA, that were supposed to ban further use of asbestos, there are still thousands of homes and buildings built before those laws that contain asbestos.

Organizations like the AFL-CIO and other unions are rallying behind those who have already been exposed to asbestos and have developed mesothelioma. Through their efforts, many victims are receiving the support that they deserve.
But what can we do? Find out more about asbestos exposure and the dangers of mesothelioma. Search the web; ask a doctor; visit a library. There are resources designed to provide us with what we need to know. With more information, we have a better chance of stopping mesothelioma.

• For service 1957 through 1977, you will be credited with $300 in additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which you received active duty basic pay. 
• For service 1978 through 2001, your earnings credits are based on your military pay. For each $300 in military pay you received, you will be credited with $100 in extra earnings, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.