Firefighters Union Merger OK'd

The merger of the Woodinville and Bothell firefighters union has been approved by the president of the national union.

International Fire Firefighters Association president Harold Schaitberger sent a letter last week to IAFF Local 2099 (Bothell) and IAFF Local 2950 (Woodinville) informing the two groups that the decision should be ratified at the IAFF board meeting on June 4.

On April 24 both locals voted to merge the two unions (tradition dictates the newly merged local union take the lowest number, IAFF Local 2099). The vote comes on the heels of increased exploration by the Woodinville Fire & Rescue Board of Commissioners and the City of Bothell Fire Department to either merge the two organizations or at least enter into an inter-local agreement to work the two communities jointly.

 “The Woodinville Firefighters (IAFF Local 2950), with a nearly 98% yes vote, supported actions to merge with the Bothell Firefighter's Local (IAFF Local 2099). This action formalizes our commitment to the consolidation process and supports the direction of our District leadership," the Woodinville local wrote to Patch.

“The merger of the locals that represent Bothell and Woodinville presents exciting opportunities for both local firefighters and the communities we protect,” wrote Hugh Moag, spokeman for IAFF 2099 to Woodinville Patch. “There are always economies of scale when two smaller organizations that share the same goals join together. The two places citizens are most likely to see these improvements are in our benevolent fund and our advocacy for public safety.”

The combination of the locals will increase the effectiveness of the union’s charitable giving through increased coordination and leadership, Moag added. The first example of that combined power will be the upcoming, on July 28th at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville.

“The event that really started the merger of our Locals was the upcoming annexation of ,” Moag added. “We have been able to jointly advocate for ensuring that the taxpayers in the annexation area receive the same excellent service throughout the annexation. In working together we became more convinced that this is a great opportunity not just for our Locals to combine but to start really exploring a more efficient service delivery model by combining our two Departments as well.”