Local 2 Brothers and Sisters.
All Local 2 members in good standing should be receiving their ballot for the Local 2 Executive Board election this week. I must admit, I am a little surprised that with all the recent issues facing the membership, this ballot looks rather ‘thin’, with positions again going uncontested. In my twenty years on the job, I suspect membership apathy has reached an all-time high. The disinterest will only get worse unless an Executive Board is elected that is committed to re-engaging with the membership and keeping them informed. What is most shocking to me is that so many members over the past three years have expressed frustration over issues that affected them directly, yet failed to participate in the process to get enough qualified people on the ballot that will address their issues. You cannot affect meaningful change with slogans like “Vote all the asterisks off the ballot” unless you develop alternative solutions and identify people willing to make changes.
I will say that I am not surprised that at least one person I know not only expressed concerns about how this Executive Board conducted themselves, but he also called them out, got involved and put his name on the ballot. Captain Scott “Scottie” Troogstad of Engine 99 decided to get involved and run for Vice President of Local 2. Scottie was a firefighter at my house when I was a candidate on Truck 25 in the 9th Battalion in Rogers Park. I will have to admit, as a candidate I didn’t know what to make of Scottie. Scottie has unbelievable energy, loved being a Chicago firefighter, was constantly ‘on” and had some pretty outlandish views. Because we had some old-timers and a Local 2 Executive Board member on our shift, there were always discussions about the City, Local 2, the Department, and politics at the kitchen table. The conversations were great, I don’t remember people getting shouted down, it seemed everyone participated, or at the very least listened intently. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to baptize me by fire on the Chicago Way at the firehouse.
Scottie was always chiming in, sometimes with opinions I agreed with and other times with viewpoints that made me scratch my head. But over the years, whether I agreed with him or not, I have found Scottie to be an honest hard working family man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Scottie is a patriotic open book that isn’t shy about expressing his opinion but also is willing to listen to an opposing view without being disrespectful or dismissive.
I have heard criticism that Scottie is ‘way out there’ and believes the earth is flat. Imagine that, firefighters letting a rumor and unsubstantiated ‘fact’ take root if repeated often enough by people who ‘heard from a guy’. This bullshit really gets tiring especially given the situation Local 2 members find themselves. Can a tin-hat fit on Scottie? I don’t think so. Occasionally I think his views don’t square with mine on certain matters, so yes there are times I might look at him sideways. But I’ll still vote for him for the reasons I just mentioned above – he is a thoughtful man who is willing to roll up his sleeves and get involved to try and understand and solve problems. Scottie is not a one-trick pony focused solely on the City’s autocratic vaccine mandate. Scottie has shown a real interest in re-engaging the membership, reviewing how political endorsements are made and how contributions are spent. Scottie was in the first ‘BLS class’, so I know he appreciates the beatings the paramedics take because he experienced it first hand. If you know Scottie like I do, you know he will give everything he has to this membership.
I think there is a stark contrast between Scottie and his opponent, Erik Steinmetz. Eric and I served on the PAC Committee together and as some of you may know I have been an outspoken critic of how Local 2 conducts its political relationships and expenditures. What is concerning is that Erik Steinmetz seems comfortable with maintaining the status quo and continuing with business as usual. As an example, at one PAC meeting at the union hall, a state representative came in seeking our endorsement. She was a new recently appointed representative and I suspected she was a go-along type of individual since the political class appointed her to the open seat. At this time, House Speaker Madigan was on the ropes trying to maintain his control of the Illinois House of Representatives. I asked her point blank what she was going to do when Mike Madigan approached her to ask for her to vote for him as House Speaker. I was shocked when this aspiring politician said that Mike Madigan already had approached her and that she suggested to him that he step down and relinquish the Speakership. I told her I admired her courage in saying that to Mike Madigan and stated in the PAC meeting I thought she deserved our support. Finally, there were breaks appearing in the iron grip on the legislative process that has driven our State and City into this financial crisis. What was the response from Local 2? President Jim Tracey shot up in his chair and stated he couldn’t endorse anyone that didn’t support Mike Madigan 100%. A typical Local 2 response from this Executive Board. I didn’t hear Erik Steinmetz offer any opinion at the meeting. At a bare minimum Erik owes the membership an accounting of what he did or at least attempted to accomplish while serving on the PAC committee, because it can’t be more of the same program of ‘do what you are told’ and ‘don’t make waves’. I can say that I wish Scottie was in the room at the union hall because he would have spoken up. Scottie is not the silent go-along with the program type.
This past month the 43rd anniversary of the 1980 Strike was celebrated. Although my father and uncles were strikers, and I am forever grateful for what they did, they have never asked me to look down on anyone that came on in 1980 and just told me to learn the job and enjoy the job. I really hate to see the strike politicized by members of this current Executive Board, not all of them, but a good number hijack the strike for political purposes. And some of these EB members were barely walking when the strike happened. I know a lot of strikers and none of them, that I am aware of, have a barrel or B.O.B. tattooed on their arm. In 1980 the strikers did what they had to do and moved on. And almost all of the strikers I knew, many of them WWII, Korean and Vietnam vets, were never rah-rah union guys, even after the strike. Most of them voted for Ronald Reagan after the strike and now disavow themselves of the Democratic Party they once carried on their shoulders. 45 years ago, when my dad wanted to put up a garage, 5 soon to be strikers came over and put it up in two days without a permit. When we put in a basement bathroom two paramedics from A36 came by and did the plumbing and tile work. A striker from E88 came by and broke up concrete and fixed our foundation. There was no talk about scab work. There were no hair-splitting arguments about if these guys were taking work away from someone else. This litmus test that I hear some members pushing during the Local 2 election is weak and something the membership cannot afford to engage in when we can’t even get enough members on the ballot.
I have the same response to those that suggest retirees shouldn’t be on the ballot. That is a dangerous proposition considering the disinterest this membership has shown. The last election in 2020, a member with less than 9 years on the job was put in charge of representing our interests in Springfield. Why did he get elected? Because not one other member of Local 2 ran for this critical position. And how did that work out for the Local 2 membership? Not very well. The last three years were probably the best opportunity to get legislation passed in decades. Legislation to address fair testing, retiree healthcare, closing the Tier 2 pension gap, addressing PIC parity and an adequate number of EMS apparatus in the field went nowhere. It was a great legislative opportunity because the City and State received billions of dollars during the pandemic, the legislative leadership just changed hands and were looking to solidify alliances and the firefighters and paramedics were the new American heroes during the Covid-19 outbreak. Even with that incredible backdrop, Local 2 didn’t get anything substantial accomplished legislatively. That opportunity is gone. It appears quite a few other unions had their shit together and racked up some wins. Local 2? Not so much. So, if you are going to cast your ballot based solely on whether someone is a retiree; or will be a retiree soon after taking office; or is applying for three quarters at the pension fund, I suggest you take a look at the last three years of this Executive Board’s performance. As the old saying goes ‘hindsight is 20/20’ and it’s clear we need capable, engaged people right now. The litmus test that retirees don’t belong on the ballot doesn’t hold water at this juncture. I could understand if a bunch of younger members came forward and put their name on the ballot and the ballot was crowded with good choices. Then yes, I would suggest the older members step aside and make room for some new leadership. But the younger members didn’t come forward and engage in the process. The membership can’t afford to just eliminate solid candidates based on such a weak litmus test. The only choice now is to make certain the new Executive Board keeps the younger members engaged so the next ballot is packed with multiple choices for each position. Here’s to wishing health and happiness to all Local 2 members.
Regards,
Timothy McPhillips
Former FABF Pension Fund Trustee
