IAFF Local 22’s Executive Board, led by Mike Bresnan, has unilaterally chosen to make a surprise presidential endorsement with no prior notification to its membership.

Mike Bresnan has actively chosen to sow discord in its membership, the Firefighters, Paramedics, and EMTs of Philadelphia, to further his own ideological agenda. Making a presidential endorsement is not in Local 22’s collective best interest.

Mike Bresnan, in his endorsement letter, grossly misrepresented union membership, stating “Local 22 members were surveyed and overwhelmingly chose President Trump.” This is false given that among 4,700 members, only 400 chose this candidate in a poll that also gave no indication it would lead to an official endorsement.

Mike Bresnan has failed to explain why he has broken from Local 22’s past endorsement process. A process where the PAC Committee brought endorsement recommendations first to the executive board and then to the floor of a membership meeting for support.

Mike Bresnan has ignored calls from Local 22 membership demanding a retraction of the endorsement. Instead, he has doubled down on this poor decision by canceling the October membership meetings at the last minute and spending $14,000 on an emergency mail-in ballot to its membership confirming the endorsement.

Local 22’s Executive Board has a fiduciary duty to look out for its members’ best interests with the union dues entrusted to them. They breach this duty by frivolously spending $14,000 to defend their own political miscalculation.

The Constitution of IAFF Local 22 is very clear in the objective of the union to cultivate “good fellowship” and to safeguard “the health, safety and welfare of its membership.” With these actions, IAFF Local 22’s Executive Board, led by Mike Bresnan, has deviated from its core mission and has broken the trust of its membership.

I am standing with members of IAFF Local 22, the Firefighters, Paramedics, and EMTs of Philadelphia, and demanding the immediate resignation of Local 22 Union President Mike Bresnan.