Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued the following earlier this week:
05.14.19
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Reintroduces Legislation to Strengthen Labor Protections for Public Safety Workers
Bicameral legislation to ensure collective bargaining rights for police officers, fire fighters and EMS personnel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy
Baldwin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) Committee, reintroduced legislation that protects collective
bargaining rights for police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel.
“Our police officers, firefighters and EMS
workers are on the frontlines every day working to keep our residents
safe, protect our neighborhoods and create safer communities for all.
They deserve the same essential labor protections that so many other
Americans enjoy – the right to form and join unions and the right to
collectively bargain,” said Senator Baldwin. “This legislation is
about doing right by our public safety officers and making sure that
while they are protecting our families and children, we are preserving
their right to workplace protections.”
This legislation is supported by Professional
Firefighters of Wisconsin (PFFW), Wisconsin Professional Police
Association (WPPA), Milwaukee Police Association, Wisconsin Law
Enforcement Association (FOP Wisconsin State Patrol Lodge 17),
International Association of Fire Fighters, Fraternal Order of Police,
National Association of Police Organizations, International Union of
Police Associations, USW, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, NFFE, CWA, AFT, NEA, ILA and
LiUNA.
“Every day, law enforcement officers risk
their lives to keep our communities safe. Extending the same basic labor
protections enjoyed by nearly every other occupation to police officers
would benefit both public safety and officer safety. This
legislation would give the dedicated men and women that police our
streets the voice they deserve to advance their working conditions,
their ability to get the resources they need to most effectively serve
the public, and the future of the law enforcement profession as a
whole. We commend Senator Baldwin for being a leader in this arena and a
valued friend of our law enforcement community,” said Jim Palmer, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.
“In Wisconsin, we know firsthand the
importance of collective bargaining and the right to form and join
unions. We stand with our brothers and sisters across the country who
are not afforded those same basic rights. Senator Baldwin has long been a
champion of Wisconsin’s firefighters and we deeply appreciate her
leadership on this issue,” said Mahlon Mitchell, President of Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin.
“The IAFF is proud to see Senator Baldwin re-introduce
the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, a bill that will
give basic collective bargaining rights to fire fighters and other
public safety workers who do not have a say in their own personal safety
or that of the people they protect. Senator Baldwin has a long history
of fighting for and standing with working Americans. Her decision to
take the lead on behalf of fire fighters provides a needed voice for the
hard-working men and women who dedicate their careers to keeping their
communities safe. We look forward to working alongside the Senator and
our other allies to help move this important legislation forward,” said Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Firefighters.
“As law enforcement officers, we take our oath
and commitment to protect and serve very seriously. Public safety
occupations are unique, and their labor relations need to reflect that.
Ours is not the traditional labor-management relationship. In our line
of work, the bottom line is the safety of the public and of the
officer. Law enforcement officers protecting our communities should be
afforded the same basic labor protections that are extended to millions
of other Americans. The right to collectively bargain over wages, hours,
and terms of employment. We are proud to be strong supporters of the
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act and we are deeply
grateful to Senator Baldwin for her leadership and commitment to our
nation’s law enforcement officers,” said Chuck Canterbury, National
President of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s oldest and
largest law enforcement organization representing more than 345,000
members in every region of the country.
“Federal law has extended collective bargaining
to several different sectors, but not to public safety officers. There
are many law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every
day to preserve the security and peace that our nation enjoys. However,
these same officers are denied the basic American rights of collective
bargaining for wages, hours, and safe working conditions. We strongly
believe that the public safety is best protected through effective
partnerships between first responders on the front lines and the
agencies that employ them. The Public Safety Employer-Employee
Cooperation Act will ensure that public safety officers can meet with
local officials to discuss how they do their jobs and how best to
protect the public. We thank Senator Baldwin for championing this
important issue,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations.
The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act ensures
specific baseline rights for first responders, including the right to
form and join a union organization that is recognized by an employer, to
bargain over hours, wages and terms of conditions of employment, and to
prioritize the enforcement of all rights and responsibilities agreed to
between an employer and labor organization. The bipartisan House
companion legislation is led by Representatives Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
which administers the labor-management program for federal workers, will
be designated with managing the implementation of the legislation.
While many police officers, firefighters and EMS
personnel reside in jurisdictions where these rights are provided, many
still go without required workplace protections. Providing employers
and their workers with a framework to define benefits and solve disputes
is necessary to ensure a productive workforce and a safe working
environment.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Patty Murray
(D-WA), Mazie. K Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD).
More information about the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act is available here.