Washington, D.C. – In a victory for firefighters and police officers, Congressman Dale E. Kildee’s (D-MI) bill, H.R. 980, which would provide public safety employees with basic workplace rights, passed the House Education and Labor Committee today with a bipartisan vote of 42 to 1.

Congressman Kildee has introduced H.R. 980, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007, in prior sessions of Congress, but the Republican majority failed to take action and bring this bill up for consideration. Today was the first time the bill was approved by the House Education and Labor Committee – a key step in getting the bill enacted. The legislation now needs to be approved by the House of Representatives. 

“Our firefighters and police officers risk their lives to keep us safe. This was tragically demonstrated Monday night by the nine firefighters killed in a furniture warehouse fire in Charleston, South Carolina,” Congressman Kildee said. “Unfortunately, some states in this country deny our public safety employees the basic right to discuss workplace issues with their employers – a right many Americans take for granted. My bill would grant these brave men and women this right. We owe it to them.”

Specifically, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 requires each state to provide minimum collective bargaining rights to their public safety employees in whatever manner the states choose.  The bill also outlines certain provisions that must be included in state laws, but relegates the major decisions to the state legislatures. A majority of states, such as Michigan, would be exempt from this bill since they already offer collective bargaining rights.

Congressman Kildee’s legislation is significant since many firefighters and police officers do not have the legal right to discuss or negotiate workplace issues.  This act will empower these public safety employees to negotiate fundamental issues with their employers such as hours, wages and workplace conditions. This bill, however, does not permit strikes by public safety officers nor does it provide for mandatory binding arbitration.

The Public Safety Employer-Employee Act is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Fraternal Order of Police, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, International Union of Police Organizations, National Association of Police Organizations and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees