Top Tweets for #timsact

As Pay Issues Linger, Canadian Firefighters Start Refusing Work as Wildfires Burn. The Canary in the Coal Mine. You're next U.S. unless you do something.  THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP JUN 13, 2023 (PLEASE SHARE) Original article link in my bio. It’s finally here. The point in the story that I wanted to be wrong about. Just last week, I wrote that the United States needed to wake up to the impending pay cliff that’s headed for our wildland firefighters. I recently ran into some very dialed operational folks at dinner, and we discussed it. “I wouldn’t be surprised if folks started not responding. It’s going to push a lot of people out if we don’t get this fixed. We already saw a massive outflow in the last 3 years,” they said as light beers and ribs were consumed. “I don’t want to see it, but folks are talking.” I don’t want to see it either. I have been vocal about pragmatic solutions and hope it doesn’t come down to this. The best-case solution is fixing the funding issue before these types of decisions have to be made. We have 14 weeks… This was the topic of conversation on Friday’s podcast. Almost all the canaries in the coal mine have long since stopped chirping. But if there were one left, it would be in Canada. Parts of Canada have already reached the pay cliff. Yesterday, a 39-year veteran Forest Ranger in Ontario, Canada, made a public statement saying they would no longer respond to fires outside their local district and won’t work over the regularly scheduled 8-hour day. “We’re sick of this crap, and it’s time to take a stand… let er rip".” According to the firefighters, they have had a pay freeze for a decade in the Province while the cost of living continues to rise. Then when they were about to get a raise, a Bill was introduced during the covid lockdowns, Bill 124, that blocked public servants from getting pay increases. Since then, multiple Provinces in Canada have seen fire funding cuts, highly effective programs scrapped, and upwards of 40% of their workforce left. No wonder they are flying in thousands of firefighters from other countries to work… You could argue that paying wildland firefighters more instead of flying folks on jetliners from across the planet would be better for the environment, but I didn’t bring a headlamp, and that rabbit hole looks deep. This should sound eerily familiar if you have been following the pay issues in the United States. The wildfire pay cliff in America comes to a head in 14 weeks. Last week the Deputy Chief of the Forest Service told Congress that if a pay solution isn’t passed, they would not be surprised to lose 30-50% of their workforce. This is a major issue. Canada is seeing a busy fire season. The United States is about a month behind normal, but fire season always arrives. I don’t want to see the same thing happen stateside that’s happening to our neighbors to the North. There is one canary left in the coal mine trying to warn everyone about the impending loss of our wildfire resources. It’s telling us that we need to pay these men and women a decent wage. Folks who have gone 10 years without a pay increase. Folks who had a pay increase taken away from them during covid while being told they would be fired if they didn’t take a new experimental medical treatment. I hope people can hear this last canary calling from the depths of the mine. However, with the loud cacophony of voices on the surface yelling about “wildfire smoke, climate, forest management, wildfire conspiracy, wildfire equity programs, and wildfire AI drone systems,” I’m not sure this little bird’s song is getting through. Call your Rep. and tell them to support the proposed pay increases for wildland firefighters. Tell them to support The Tim Hart Act. We have 14 weeks… and we are out of canaries. THE HOTSHOT WAKE UP - Thank you to all of our paid subscribers. (Support link in my bio.)