Brief Blog: July 2, 2010 – Big Labor in the Firehouse

Big Labor has a new way to expand its reach: Force state and local governments to bargain collectively with public safety employees. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (PSEEC) would require states to grant firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel the right to collectively bargain for hours, wages and other conditions of employment (not pensions and health benefits, at least not yet).

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) is attempting to attach PSEEC supplemental appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. By inserting it in the much larger bill, he hopes to ward off Republican objections. And since the supplemental already passed in the Senate, there won’t be an opportunity to amend it.

PSEEC would be a significant victory for unions. Not surprisingly, over the past 20 years, the International Association of Firefighters has given 82% of its donations to Democrats. Last May, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who needs union support for his re-election bid, tried unsuccessfully to attach the bill to a supplemental disaster relief and war-funding bill.

The act would affect 20 states to varying degrees. Currently, two states, North Carolina and Virginia, prohibit public safety workers from bargaining collectively, and 18 others have limitations on bargaining.

At a time of budget deficits, the last thing these states need is another unfunded mandate. Higher union labor costs will force them to cut services, raise taxes or add to their already crippling deficits.

If enacted, PSEEC will reverse two centuries of state sovereignty over public sector labor arrangements. Historically, different state and local governments have had the flexibility to adopt policies that address their different needs. Some have chosen to bargain collectively with their first responders; some not. By empowering the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRB), the body that oversees labor-management relations for federal employees, to set bargaining standards, supervise elections and resolve disputes, PSEEC effectively imposes a federalized collective bargaining system,

The act would require states to negotiate all conditions of employment, including seniority-based promotions vs. a merit-based pay system. Promoting police or firefighters on the basis of seniority rather than performance may compromise public safety.

Finally, PSEEC could put an end to volunteer fire departments, on which many small towns depend. In 2007, volunteer firefighters accounted for 72% of firefighters nationwide, mainly serving communities with populations of less than 25,000. (Volunteers typically work very part-time whereas paid firefighters work full-time). Firefighter unions strongly oppose volunteer firefighters since they reduce the need for paid firefighters. PSEEC would make it easier for the unions to eliminate volunteer firefighters altogether.

Last year, for the first time membership in public sector unions surpassed that of private sector unions. Unionized state and local government employees typically make about 12% more than their private sector counterparts, to say nothing of their superior job security and benefits. And we the people, who have no seat at the bargaining table, pay their salaries.