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The Public
Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act enjoys broad support in
Congress. In the 110th Congress, the House version was adopted
by a vote of 314 to 97, with a majority of both Republicans and
Democrats supporting the bill. 69 Senators voted to bring the
House bill to the floor for debate.
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Fire fighters,
police officers, and emergency medical personnel risk their
lives every day to protect the public. They deserve the same
right to discuss workplace issues with their employer that the
federal government already grants to most employees.
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Collective
bargaining provides a forum where employers and employees can
join together to tackle state and local budget shortfalls.
During the current recession, fire fighters across the country
are not only offering up concessions to balance municipal
budgets, but they’re saving jobs and preventing layoffs in the
process. Collective bargaining has helped save hundreds of fire
fighter jobs in the past year.
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The federal
government has a vital interest in improving local emergency
response operations through adequate staffing, training, and
equipment. Since 9/11, the federal government has established a
variety of homeland security programs that rely on the
effectiveness of local first response agencies, backed by
billions of dollars in federal funding to improve local
emergency response. It is clearly within the federal
government’s authority to also ensure that front-line responders
are able to discuss with their employer how to best provide
emergency services.
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The ability of
first responders to talk about their jobs with their employers
protects the public safety. Collective bargaining has produced
measurable staffing, training, equipment, health and safety
improvements throughout the nation’s fire departments resulting
in safer fire fighters and improved local emergency response
capabilities. The fatality rate from fires—for both fire
fighters and civilians—is significantly lower in states that
permit fire fighters to discuss workplace issues with their
employer.
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The bill gives
maximum flexibility to states to craft their own laws giving
fire fighters and police officers the ability to sit down and
talk with their employers. The bill does not require public
agencies to agree to anything, and does not empower a third
party to compel a jurisdiction to do anything it has not
explicitly agreed to.
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Just as
important as what the bill requires is what it does not require.
The bill does not allow public safety officers to strike; does
not require binding arbitration to resolve disputes; does not
take away authority of states and local jurisdictions to have
the final say over all public safety decisions; does not require
any specific method to certify unions; does not infringe on the
rights of volunteer fire fighters; and does not mandate
compulsory unionism.
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The legislation
is strongly supported by the International Association of Fire
Fighters (IAFF), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International
Union of Police Associations (IUPA), the National Association of
Police Organizations (NAPO), and the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
