RWDSU On Call for Firefighters in Canada (6/15/09)

In May, the paid-on-call firefighters in Petawawa, Ontario, voted overwhelmingly to join the RWDSU Northern Joint Council. The 33 firefighters, who work other jobs but drop everything to fight fires when they are needed, are members of Local 431, the dedicated local for paid-on-call firefighters within the Northern Joint Council.

The Petawawa firefighters were concerned about a lack of input on the job.

“When people heard we were talking union, they automatically thought it was about money, but for us that wasn’t the big issue,” said 13-year veteran Craig Proux. “We wanted to be listened to by management, to have a say in the way things are run.”

According to Proux, the drive to win a union voice was also motivated by safety  concerns.

“We need to be able to have a collective voice to make our job safer. Our concerns about equipment and other aspects of the job need to be taken seriously to make our dangerous jobs as safe as possible,” Proux added.

Peter Moss, a 14-year paid-on-call firefighter in Petawawa, added that without a union, uncertainty was a part of the job.

“Our job description could change at any time, and it has. The working conditions and terms are not set, and we had no way of communicating with the town council about these changes,” Moss said.

“In addition, there is a public safety issue. Without us having a say, there have been moves to reduce the number of staff, and reduce the number of firefighters who respond to some calls. With the union, serve the community more effectively.”

Welcoming the Petawawa paid-on-call firefighters into the union is the first success in a province-wide campaign that the union hopes brings many more firefighters a union voice.

“We have been receiving calls from throughout Ontario from paid-on-call firefighters who want union representation, and we are working hard to bring it to them,” said Northern Joint Council President Derik McArthur. “They have no collective voice, nobody to lobby on their behalf, and many of these provinces don’t seem to want to invest in the proper equipment or training. With a union voice, these firefighters won’t be alone as they fight to protect themselves while protecting their communities.”