Transition....

NEMSA has been officially certified by the federal government as your labor representative and we have hit the ground running...


Shop Steward Nominations Have Occurred...

Ballots For Shop Steward Elections have been mailed to your homes.

We have already sent a letter to David Kuhn to schedule contract bargaining dates.

Coming in the next few weeks...

Shop Steward Elections will be complete and you will have local shop stewards and worksite leaders.

Shop Steward Training Will Occur for those elected as shop stewards.

Surveys will be given out to set bargaining priorities.

Meetings about various workplace issues will likely occur with management.


As for this website: Now that the campaign is over, this will be the last "Official" post from NEMSA on this web site. Once a local leadership team is elected and in place, if the workforce wants it then this website will be handed off to them. The internet is a great communication tool and this website may yet have a future.


Your Information:

NEMSA can be reached at 1-866-544-7398

The Labor Representative assigned to your region is: Jeff Misner


Congrats again Great Falls EMS Pro's.... Again, Welcome...

Waiting For Certification...

Just a quick update... NEMSA is waiting for the National Labor Relations Board To officially CERTIFY that NEMSA is your union representation.  We expect this will happen Mon-Wed of this week.

Again, Welcome To NEMSA!

You will see much more of us after certification.

NEMSA Wins!

Congratulations!  The EMS Professionals at GFES have chosen NEMSA over "no union"!  You are all to be congratulated for choosing to band together and join EMS Professionals around the USA!

What's Next?

NEMSA is proud to represent you!  The next few weeks will be weeks of transition.  Several legal processes as required by law will occur and we expect within 2 weeks the National Labor Relations Board will "Certify" NEMSA as your labor representative.  At this point, NEMSA will officially be your "union."

Time To Heal And Build Unity

Sun Tzu, an ancient chinese military general wrote an instructional text that translated into modern english is called "The Art Of War."  In it, he described a tactic which works even today.... Divide and Conquer...

David Kuhn is not a bad or evil man.  Neither is Vandersloot.  But they were not looking out for your interests, only their own.  They tried to buy your "no union" vote.  Now they will attempt to Divide You and Conquer your unity.  The reason is simple :  a people divided will not stand and with contract negotiations coming, division and infighting within your bargaining unit will lead to better results for GFES and worse results for YOU.

So now is the time to heal and start building unity.  The idea behind being a bargaining unit is that everybody is important, every voice must be heard, and that together you can find what matters and speak with one voice to your employer.

So welcome to the fold, NEMSA Great Falls...  we await the NLRB to certify NEMSA as your representative.  You have made a brave and noble decision to join NEMSA.  Welcome....

It's almost over... Vote on May 22nd!

It's almost over.  Remember to vote on May 22nd!

At NEMSA, we are proud of GFES EMS Professionals and look forward to the fine people at Great Falls Emergency Services joining NEMSA as we continue to transform EMS.

From soup to nuts, NEMSA knows EMS because NEMSA IS EMS.  From members in individual shops around the USA to shop stewards to chief shop stewards to labor representatives to Regional Directors to Board of Director Officers to President, every role is filled by someone experienced in EMS.

Even our Law Firm is run by a lawyer who was a Paramedic.  

I am the mystery blogger. My name is Jason and I have worked in EMS for 15 years as an EMT and Paramedic.  I now serve EMS Professionals around the great United States of America working for NEMSA.  It has been an honor to type these messages over the past few weeks to you.

NEMSA is run by and for its membership.  NEMSA is you, us... everyone who works in EMS.  Each one of us has a different story, a unique set of talents, and a personal history that makes NEMSA work.  NEMSA is built from the ground up and relies on that strength to provide the best possible representation to all of our members.  Strength Through Service, Strength Through Unity.  

NEMSA works because of all of us.  Please vote for NEMSA on May 22nd and join US.

We are strong together, apart we are weak and frail.  Join US!

P.S.  I look forward to Friday when I can say "Welcome To NEMSA!"

Hypocrisy?

Something that nobody at NEMSA has been able to get their heads around is this glaring hypocrisy on the part of David Kuhn and GFES.

On one hand, with every fiber of their being Kuhn and Vandersloot want you to vote NO UNION. They don't want to have a contract with employees or give you rights. They don't even want a business agreement with their employees. They simply don't want employees to have any input in any issue.

On the other hand... They desperately want a contract, a business agreement with the City of Great Falls. They want an exclusive contract and are willing to allow the city to have input in many issues to make that happen.

It doesn't make sense and it's simply hypocritical...

Kuhn and Vandersloot are still working the soft sale. They have tried every possible way to sway your vote to NO UNION. They have visited your homes and "gotten to know you." They have shown all the great changes that are going to happen if only you vote NO UNION.

Why are they fighting so hard against you having legal rights? Why are they fighting tooth and nail to keep you from joining NEMSA?

We at NEMSA believe that is why you should vote YES to NEMSA. Kuhn and Vandersloot paid you NO attention, fixed NO problems, and did not CARE about you before you became interested in NEMSA. They may not have been aware of all of the problems initially and may be trying to fix some, but they sure claim they care now... notice how their caring comes at a price?

Let's face it... Beneath the smiles, kindness, and gentle behavior is something else.... they are not evil or bad, but they are not looking out for YOUR interests... they are looking out for THEIR OWN interests.

If they were looking out for YOU they would have encouraged you to join NEMSA!

Vote NEMSA on May 22nd! No union..... NO WAY!

A Letter From A NEMSA Member To GFES EMS Profesionals

Dear Fellow EMS Worker

If you are anything like me, you work in EMS because you take pride in caring for people.  In an ideal world, we would work our shifts with a minimum of interference and collect a paycheck that reflects our considerable knowledge and skill.  But the sober reality is that the business interest of our employers often stand in direct competition with the interests of the labor force.  As in many industries, EMS professionals rely on the strength of unions to ensure fair treatment and compensation in the workplace.

When NEMSA first came to my county I actively campaigned against them during a long and contentious election.  I was extremely wary of a new, unproven labor union who's numbers could not match those of older, larger umbrella labor organizations.

Ultimately, my group got outvoted and I had to choose to join NEMSA or be left behind.  But what I wasn't prepared for was how incredibly exciting it would be to participate in the process of building a core of worker solidarity from the ground up.  I watched as our numbers swelled, from a few hundred people in a handful of bargaining units to over 5500 across the nation.  I witnessed NEMSA gain strength and experience as it negotiated impressive contracts all over the country.

In spring of 2008, I had the privilege of representing my county alongside 21 other chief stewards in a wildly successful round of contract negotiations for our bargaining unit.  The negotiations resulted in one of the best EMS contracts in the United States.  It was a profoundly empowering experience and it instilled in my mind something that I should have realized all along:  NEMSA isn't an abstraction.  It isn't a faceless organization.  NEMSA is US, you and me and EMS workers all over the country who know that our greatest strength comes from the alliances we foster with one another.

I invite you to become part of the US.  I invite you to join NEMSA today.

In solidarity,

Megan McNamara

Chief Shop Steward, Santa Cruz County, CA

A Contract: A business agreement with GFES

All of this union talk can sometimes be confusing...

Maybe we can clarify a few things...

A collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or contract is the device used by NEMSA to work with your employer.  It is a legal and binding document that comes from negotiation and compromise with your employer.  It covers your wages, benefits, working conditions, and how to disagree in a respectful manner should a conflict arise.  

NEMSA has never driven an employer out of business with a contract.  NEMSA is YOU.  Your contract is YOU.  YOU decide with a member led team how to direct NEMSA Attorneys and staff in negotiating with your employer.  When NEMSA and your employer agree on everything presented, and it is ratified by vote of your bargaining unit, YOU have a contract.

A contract is a business agreement between NEMSA (your bargaining unit) and GFES.  The content is decided by YOU and GFES.  Terms, wages, benefits, etc.. are decided by YOU and GFES.  Seniority, scheduling, flexibility are decided by YOU and GFES.  

Contracts are truly a symbiotic thing.  Both sides need each other to survive.  It makes both sides work together for the common good.

A touching moment:  At the end of Northern California Contract Negotiations 2 weeks ago, the bargaining team went into the conference room where management representatives were and told them that "We have a contract."  They then proceeded to shake hands and hug members of management.  After 22 sessions, including some rather heated moments, both sides had reached a deal and had mutual respect and affection for each other.

Why does GFES fear a contract?

Employers who have never had a union contract before fear union contracts because they are forced to act consistently while under a contract.  They can't pay person X more than person Y just because.  They can't assign mandatory overtime outside of the rules agreed to.  They can't favor one employee over another.

Employers who have never had a union contract don't know what they are missing.  Predictability, accountability, mutual respect, a working relationship to solve problems all come from union contracts.

Contracts are business, not personal.  And GFES has a legal requirement to negotiate in good faith with NEMSA once elected.  

The EMS Professionals at GFES have nothing to fear from a union contract, and neither does GFES.  They just don't know it yet.

Vote for NEMSA and see what a NEMSA contract can do for you!