FIRE FIGHTERS HOPE PRESIDENT LIVES UP TO
COMMITMENTS MADE DURING ELECTION
80% of IAFF supported candidates won
their campaigns in yesterday’s 2004 elections
WASHINGTON, DC – The General President of the International
Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, Harold Schaitberger, issued this
statement today following the re-election of George Bush as President of the
United States.
“In the presidential election of 2004, like all elections,
fire fighters and the IAFF supported the candidate with the best record on
first responder and economic issues. That is our litmus test. And to win our
support, a candidate must support us on those issues – period.
“The candidate in yesterday’s presidential election that
clearly had the strongest record of support for fire fighters was John
Kerry. We are proud of our support for John, the efforts of all of our
affiliates and members on John’s behalf, and look forward to his continued
support as a member of the Senate.
“During this campaign, George Bush made a number of
statements committing his support to fire fighters and the issues that
affect them every day.
“This president said he supports fire fighters, and in fact
stood next to a number of IAFF members and pledged his support for the work
they do on the frontlines, protecting America.
“Over the next four years, we will hold President Bush to
his word. We will make every effort to work with him and his administration
to fix the problems that face more than two-thirds of the fire departments
in this country in terms of too few fire fighters, too little training and
lack of equipment.
“And if President Bush is true to his word, the next four
years should be good for all IAFF members.
“Overall, our political strategy of supporting those
candidates who are loyal to fire fighters, continues to pay dividends for
our union. It has led us to support more Republicans than virtually any
other labor union – we gave fully one-third of our PAC funds to Republicans
this election cycle. And overall, 80 percent of the candidates the IAFF
supported in congressional, gubernatorial and other races won yesterday. We
look forward to working with those candidates in the months and years ahead
for the benefit of all first responders.”
About the International Association of Fire Fighters -
www.iaff.org
Click here for IAFF Convention Web site
Click here for
IAFF Press Release Archives
