House: All first responders can unionize [The bill, passed 314-97........]

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

House: All first responders can unionize

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, AP Labor Writer 4 minutes ago

The House on Tuesday voted to give all police, firefighters and other first responders the right to collective bargaining, although the legislation also would keep them from going on strike.

The bill, passed 314-97, gives public safety officers the right to join unions and bargain over wages, hours and conditions of employment.

"Our firefighters and police officers risk their lives to keep us safe," said Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., the sponsor of the legislation. "Yet there are some states in this country that deny them the basic right to discuss workplace issues with their employers, a right many Americans have. At the very least, they should be allowed to negotiate for wages, hours and safe working conditions."

Two states, Virginia and North Carolina, prohibit public safety officers from collective bargaining. Twenty other states don't fully protect collective bargaining rights for firefighters, police officers, corrections officers and emergency medical service workers, supporters said.

"By guaranteeing the right of these courageous first responders to collective bargaining in all 50 states, the House has gone on record in favor of better wages, benefits and working conditions for men and women who keep watch over our neighborhoods and protect our nation," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference with first responders on the Capitol steps.

One who spoke out was Marshall E. Thielen, a police officer and president of the Fairfax Coalition of Police in Fairfax, Va., where there is no collective bargaining.

"We should have a voice and we should be able to sit down with management and not have to use other tactics," he said.

Ninety-eight Republicans voted for the bill.

[Hawthorn]

> it is not constitutional to legislatively intervene either way. You can’t tell the labor force they can’t form unions, and you can’t tell the hiring agencies that they can’t fire anyone who join a union <

Amen!

But EVEN IF it’s constitutional to force businesses in interstate commerce to accept unions, where in the Constitution does it give Congress the power to force unions on state and local governments? I’d say nowhere. This matter clearly rests within the exclusive discretion of the states, who then may delegate (or fail to delegate) appropriate resposibility to their respective localities.

In this regard, the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) — concerning the “Gun-Free School Zones Act” — suggests that if this bill should become law, it will be vulnerable to a constitutional challenge.

[george76]

Union Dues/Campaign Contributions and ‘free’ get out the vote campaign labor.

[anymouse]

Yep, you answered the question asked above about “if this doesn’t hurt my industry, why should I care.”

An inefficient, ineffective, bloated government workforce hits us all in the pocketbook with more taxes and it guarantees we will get less than what we pay for in services.

Civil servants are rarely civil nor consider themselves servants to those they supposedly serve - us the taxpayer.

[anymouse]

ping

[DancesWithBolsheviks]

You go in first.
No, I need to join the union and get a raise, you go in first.
No, you go first.
...

[Condor51]

**** Anyone want to enlighten me about what in the US Constitution gives the federal government the authority to regulate this? I know it is silly to expect our federal government to abide by the restrictions set forth in the constitution, but do they even make an attempt to justify such things?****

Two words ; Commerce Clause.
90% of all the he BS bills cite the Commerce Clause as their their constitutional basis in nonsensical legalize. This includes crap like Hate Crime and Gun Laws.

Thankfully under the 'Rehnquist Court' some of the most egregious were ruled unconstitutional as they definitely over reached in citing it. To this day Di-Fi is still in a snit over her 1,000 ft gun free school zone law going down in flames. Last year she still had screed on her senate web page about it. In effect she said, 'so what if it's illegal, I meant good and its for the children'.

And during Roberts and Alito's hearings they were specifically grilled on how they saw Congress' use or limits in using it. Durbin as I recall was the most 'inquisitive'.

If SCOTUS limits it's use strictly per the Constitution's intent, 'to regulate commerce', Congress could stay home for nine months of the year.

[Paleo Conservative]

Excuse me, where is the federal issue in this?

[mdmathis6]

Blue “flu”, work slow downs...there are ways to passive
agressively slow work down to a crawl! Refusing overtime(unless maditory overtime rules prevail) or not offering to work extra shifts to cover peak man-power shortages are another tactic. There are a lot of ways to “monkey wrench” the system!

[deaconjim]

I can eat dirt too, but I have no desire or reason to do so. I was unaware that Va. state law prevented me from unionizing simply because I’ve never even considered the possibility. This bill won’t change that fact.