Congress Set to Outlaw Outlawing of Public Sector Unions by States

Taking aim at states like Virginia that have passed laws forbidding the establishment of public sector unions, a law wending its way unnoticed through Congress called PSEECA, the Public Safety Employer/Employee Cooperation Act, would force unionization on all states' public sectors.

Though the Virginia law, which forbids the unionization of police, fire and paramedic personnel working for any public entity in the commonwealth, has broad bipartisan support, PSEECA would forbid any state from doing what Virginia and other states have done–protect themselves from the extortion expense and recalcitrant behavior of unionized public safety servants.

Nationwide, just 7.6 percent of private employees are unionized, but 36.8 percent of public sector employees belong to unions. Nationwide, almost 59 percent of police are unionized, and the figure is even higher for firemen–70 percent.

Consider the consequences: In Albana, N.Y., the firefighters' union recently argued that one of its members should not be terminated for committing off-duty arson–because it did not impact his firefighting abilities! In Seattle, the police have gone unpunished for a series of brutal–and unjustified–beatings, with the city virtually powerless to discipline those involved.

Anyway, while the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) gets all the headlines, PSEECA flies under the radar–while threatening not only states' rights but also public safety when intractable unions start dictating policy to firemen and policemen, and to the local governments that pay them.

Congress Set to Outlaw Outlawing of Public Sector Unions by States is a post from: Labor Law Guy

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