DEPARTMENT of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Commissioner Juan A. Pua has been informed by Fire Capt. Paul B. Sasamoto about the creation of a firefighters labor union called the Northern Marianas Professional Firefighters Union IAFF-Local 5335.
The union will be under the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Asked for comment, Sen. Dennis Mendiola, a former DFEMS chief, said, “I believe it’s commendable that firefighters are proactively seeking to be unionized. I completely understand that their primary objective is to ensure their own protection.
He said during his tenure as commissioner, “my public information officer advocated for this initiative.”
Mendiola said he was supportive, but he “approached it cautiously due to divisions within the fire department, and the financial obligations involved. With the onset of Covid-19 in the CNMI, we redirected our focus toward prioritizing the safety of our residents.”
He said unions “offer advantages such as collective bargaining power, job security, and solidarity. However, they can also introduce challenges like added costs and potential disruptions. During economic constraints, resistance to cost-cutting measures may affect the government entity’s adaptability. So striking the right balance between firefighter welfare and fiscal responsibility is crucial, and underscores the need for constructive dialogue and negotiation.”
He added, “I hope all parties involved fully comprehend the fiscal and personal implications of this movement. While protection is vital, it may impact personal stability, especially in our current economic state. Nonetheless, I am grateful that the firefighters have persevered in their efforts thus far, and may they reap what they sow.”
Fire Capt. Paul B. Sasamoto will serve as president of the Northern Marianas Professional Firefighters Union IAFF-Local 5335.
He notified DFEMS that the NMPFU IAFF-Local 5355 is the sole and exclusive representative for all full-time employees who are bargaining unit members employed by the department.
“NMPFU IAFF-Local 5335 will be submitting a letter that will initiate a collective bargaining agreement process between the union and DFEMS that pertains to labor and employee relations issues between firefighters who are collective bargaining unit members of NMPFU IAFF-Local 5335 and are employed by DFEMS,” Sasamoto said in a letter to Pua.
On behalf of the CNMI DFEMS firefighters who are members of NMPFU IAFF-Local 5335, Sasamoto thanked Pua for his professionalism and support of this “historical endeavor.”
A DFEMS employee who requested anonymity told Variety that there are 80 members of the union.
Dennis Mendiola
