On Wednesday, March 10, a subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee heard testimony on H.R. 413 . This legislation, introduced by Michigan Congressman Dale Kildee (D-Flint), would establish a federal "312" law and force municipalities around the country to enter into collective bargaining agreements with their public safety employees, regardless of state and local laws.
The League and National League of Cities, oppose the legislation because it would place the federal government, through the Federal Labor Relations Authority, in charge of establishing the rules and procedures governing collective bargaining around salaries, hours, benefits, and conditions of employment at the municipal level. Ellis Hankins, Executive Director of the North Carolina League presented testimony at the hearing on behalf of the National League of Cities in opposition of the bill. You can view his testimony, that of Congressman Kildee and others at the subcommittee website .
And despite what you may hear, the bill does not protect states like Michigan that have collective bargaining laws. It would turn over authority to determine whether we were in compliance to the FLRA and the bill is so vague, there is no way to know what rules they would put in place.
Contact Congressman Kildee and your own congressional representative and tell them to oppose the bill. Tell them that you know what is best for your community. That Michigan already has a similar law in place and that H.R. 413 would preempt local control by placing us at the mercy of a federal agency. That the federal government should respect the longstanding distinction between state and local responsibilities and federal ones.
If they cannot oppose the bill, then tell them to amend it to 1) exempt all states from oversight by the FLRA if they have a collective bargaining law in place for their public safety officers at the time of passage of H.R. 413 and, 2) exempt from oversight by the FLRA all states that adopt within 2 years of passage of the bill state legislation establishing collective bargaining rights for public safety officiers. The first amendment protects Michigan, the second, all other states.
Arnold Weinfeld covers federal issues for the Michigan Municipal League. You can contact him at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.
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