Lawmakers support fight against public service unions

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (Official photo) [Click to enlarge]

Shelbyville and 20 other towns in Tennessee now have two allies in their fight to stop forced union representation for police and fire departments: Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander.

Corker has proposed an amendment to the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (H.R. 980), which would require states to have mandatory collective bargaining for public service employees, according to a press release from his office.

The amendment, which is co-sponsored by Alexander, gives states and municipalities a year to opt out of the changes that would occur if the bill becomes law.

Shelbyville Mayor Wallace Cartwright said the bill comes up about every year in the Senate and the city has always opposed it. The city council voted last week to join forces with the city of Maryville to lobby against the bill. Maryville has led the way with the effort, along with 20 other municipalities across the state.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (official photo) [Click to enlarge]

The National Organization of Cities and the Tennessee Municipal League is also moving against the bill, which would cause cities to lose management rights. Public service officials would also lose their rights to meet with management.

"The unions would have control and even the management people would be cut out, you would have to deal directly with the union people," Cartwright said. "We'd like to leave it like it is and have an open shop."

"It would give the men a chance to talk to the management of the city of Shelbyville."

Corker said in remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday that "as mayor (of Chattanooga), I also had to balance a budget -- something we here in Washington don't have to do -- and I find it inappropriate that those of us at the federal level would mandate that state and local governments collectively bargain with their public safety workers.

"This is a tremendous overreach by those of us at the federal level."

"I hope the collective bargaining bill fails, but if it passes, I hope my amendment is adopted so that states and cities have the right to determine their own destiny as it relates to negotiating with people who work in fire and police departments across our country," Corker said.

Many other state and local governments across the country -- including the Tennessee State Legislature -- have explicitly rejected the concept of collective bargaining rights for public safety employees.