Grant Bosse: Firefighters are at the center of NH politics

New Hampshire Union Leader

Oct. 02--Grant Bosse: Firefighters are at the center of NH politics

By GRANT BOSSE

October 01. 2018 10:38PM

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN sympathetic to firefighters.

Hillsborough is a small town, and we all knew each other. I'd walk by the fire department on my morning paper route. The annual fair at Grimes Field was built around the Firemen's Muster.

Shortly after I went away to college, my grandparent's home was struck by arson, one in a series of fires to hit the town. Hillsborough firefighters arrived in time to extinguish the fire, but not to save my grandfather, John Sterling. I know that loss hit them almost as hard as it did our family.

I'm sure most people share my respect for those who would undertake such a grueling, dangerous job. That's one reason why the endorsement of the Professional Fire Fighters Association of New Hampshire is so coveted.

The PFFNH endorsed Republican Gov. Chris Sununu last week, the first time they backed the GOP candidate since Gov. Craig Benson in 2004. The endorsement does not lock up the race. (Benson lost to John Lynch that year.) But it is a strong sign for Sununu because it indicates that he is fighting on Democrat Molly Kelly's turf. (My wife works in the governor's office.)

Public sector unions are a core piece of the Democratic coalition. Kelly countered the firefighters' endorsement by announcing the backing of SEIU 1984, the union representing most state employees. But splitting union endorsements is a win for Republicans. Sununu also pocketed the support of the New Hampshire Police Association back in June, the earliest that union has ever endorsed a candidate.

The PFFNH has increased its political leverage in part by keeping itself in play. Free agents get more attention than players under long-term contracts, and groups willing to work with, and support, both sides can find allies on either side. No one wonders who the NRA or Planned Parenthood are going to support.

Sununu was also helped by the two issues most strongly aligning firefighters with New Hampshire Democrats over the past decade being taken off the table.

Pension fights

After the economic downturn of 2008, public pension systems across the country were in crisis. After relying on above average investment returns for years, the market crash left the New Hampshire Retirement System with a huge unfunded liability. Firefighters in most New Hampshire communities are part of the NHRS, so the pension reform was a top priority.

Firefighters weren't always happy with Lynch, but they were up in arms over the pension reform plans from Republican lawmakers. The GOP pushed to turn the NHRS from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan, similar to a 401(k). Public employees would own their own retirement accounts, but also be subject to market risk. The PFFNH, along with other public-sector unions, strongly opposed anything that would transfer risk to its members. That meant siding with Democrats.

Republicans failed to transform the NHRS, but did pass a series of significant reforms over the objections of the PFFNH. The system still faces a large unfunded liability, but has a plan in place to pay it off. Pension reform is not as pressing an issue as it was.

Right-to-Work

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken Right-to-Work off the front burner. Sununu is a strong supporter, but public-sector unions no longer have as much at stake.

The court's Janus decision means that public employees cannot be forced to join a union, or to pay an agency fee for the union's work.

I don't often disagree with my friend and predecessor, Andrew Cline, who wrote in his weekly newsletter for the Josiah Bartlett Center that the "Janus ruling doesn't appear to be a major factor" in why unions have moved Right-to-Work down on their list of priorities.

This is entirely why Right-to-Work is no longer a top priority. For public-sector unions, the court functionally made every state Right-to-Work. (The newsletter, named The Broadside, is excellent, and you should sign up for it at jbartlett.org.)

Firefighters, and the unions that represent them, maintain their clout in New Hampshire politics by sticking with their top issues, not those of any one party. They are not afraid to pick sides, and work hard for the candidates they endorse.

Grant Bosse is editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Email him at [email protected].

Politics Oped

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