FEDERALIZED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING?
As previously reported in the TML Legislative Update (please see the July 27, 2007, and October 25, 2007, issues), H.R. 980, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, has passed the U.S. House, and a similar bill, S.2123, is being considered by the United States Senate. S.2123 has not yet passed the Senate, but efforts to pass the bill or attach it as an amendment to another bill have intensified.
This legislation would be especially harmful to Texas cities. It would require all states to pass a mandatory collective bargaining law or otherwise submit to the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The legislation would erode Texas law, which allows voter-initiated, local-option collective bargaining for some public safety employees. The bill is also an unfunded mandate that will harm cities by forcing them to divert their limited resources from protecting the public to the administration of federal collective bargaining.