Firefighters are working to convince Texas-side voters to grant them collective bargaining rights on Election Day and they have enlisted expert help.
Supporters of Texarkana, Texas, firefighters' efforts have hired consultants to help them campaign for a ballot measure authorizing the fire department to choose a representative in labor talks with the city.
Political consulting firm Murphy Nasica is working with the "for" campaign, which started with a launch event Sept. 10, Scott Robertson, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 367, said on Saturday.
"We're advising them. Those guys are used to putting out fires, not doing politics," Murphy Nasica President Craig Murphy said Sunday.
The company's other clients have included Gov. Greg Abbott and dozens of other Texas politicians, according to its website, murphynasica.com.
The campaign has established a social media presence and is distributing large and small yard signs. Off-duty firefighters are visiting voters targeted by Murphy Nasica's analysis of the electorate, Robertson said, and supporters will soon begin making phone calls to other residents identified by the firm.
To make most efficient use of resources, Murphy Nasica is pointing the campaign toward those most likely to vote, Murphy said.
The campaign plans to make 10,000 in-person contacts with voters before they decide the issue Nov. 8. Robertson said almost all of those contacted so far have been "for" voters.
"It's insane how positive reactions have been. I can count on one hand the people who've said 'no.' People like firefighters," he said.
Murphy agreed. "Firefighters are very popular in the community, so it's no surprise we're seeing strong support," he said.
The City Council's approval Sept. 12 of a pay increase for all city employees, including firefighters, does not alter the "for" campaign's message.
"I don't think it changes anything. Our message was never to get a pay raise," Robertson said. "Our goal is to sit down with the city."
Texas firefighters are free to join labor unions, but they must get approval from citizens before a union or any other group can represent them to their employers.
By state law, city voters must decide whether a local fire department can choose an agent organization to represent it regarding employment issues. Texas-side firefighters and their supporters have been working since late last summer to give Texarkanans the opportunity.
The first step was circulating a citizen petition required to put the issue to a vote. City Secretary Jennifer Evans this spring certified 546 signatures on the petition, which needed 428. State law required the City Council to add the issue to the ballot.
If the ballot measure passes, firefighters almost certainly will choose the union as their representative, Robertson has said.
Firefighters formed the local union chapter in October 1933, and about 80 to 85 percent of Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department employees are members.