The EMS Labor Movement - or Lack Thereof? What's the story?

Many of the posts on this network site, and others, bemoan the plight of poor, overworked, underpaid, and under-respected EMS providers.

Yet, the EMS community does not seem to have an active labor movement working to improve this environment.

I must confess that I'm not a union guy - I'm a chief in a right-to-work, no collective bargaining for public employees state. So the situation probably works to my advantage - maybe. But I am curious.

It seems that much of the economic and political success in the fire service comes as a result of the efforts of the IAFF, which claims 292,000 members. The EMS workforce study places the EMS workforce at between 200,000 and 700,000 members, which ought to be a formidable force. Yet I couldn't name a single large, EMS-only labor organization that might represent more than 2% of the EMS workforce. I see EMS folks represented by the SEIU (service workers), AFSCME (general public employees, heavy on the clerical), the Teamsters (truck drivers), police locals, fire locals, and a variety of others.

Is there an explanation for this phenomenon, or for the lack of a single focus EMS labor organization? Or is it just another example of that saying (cleaned up for publication) that "EMS folk can't organize a sandwich in a kitchen"?

Standing by for enlightenment.......

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Comment by Matt Borders on July 5, 2009 at 11:19am: I know of a only ems provider department in Ohio that is part of IAFF union. But i really don't know how many only ems providing department that their is in the United States, because in Ohio majority of the fire departments provide the EMS service in Ohio. Starting a Union for EMS providers would take lot of time to organze and have the bragining people to help the EMS only department to get what they want on their Union contaract. I worked for jail that was non-union and went to union and last i know they are still fighting with management to get what they want on their contract and it just made working for management lot worse. If the employee and working will with the employer they should leave alone and not create hardship between the two. I'm glad now that i'm out of the union because i can talk to my chief about concerns and changes that can help the department and i really don't have to fight that hard to get the changes done.

Comment by Scott on February 19, 2009 at 2:11pm: My first thought was that it's difficult to organize a labor union when so many folks do the same job for free as volunteers. But then it occurred to me that the majority of firefighters in the USA are volunteers but IAFF still has a strong bargaining position..........so I dunno.
Clueless in Carolina
scott