[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 147 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S12382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. GREGG (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Dodd, 
        Ms. Collins, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Domenici, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
        Martinez, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Snowe, Mr. 
        Obama, Mr. Specter, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Brown, Mr. Stevens, Mr. 
        Lieberman, Mr. Sununu, and Mr. Pryor):
  S. 2123. A bill to provide collective bargaining rights for public 
safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is a privilege to join Senator Gregg 
today in reintroducing the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation 
Act, to guarantee that all firefighters, police officers, emergency 
medical personnel, and other first responders across the country have 
fundamental collective bargaining rights. The issue is one of basic 
respect for this valuable workforce, and I urge all of my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan bill.
  The first responders of our State and local governments are on the 
front lines of the effort to keep America safe. They perform difficult, 
exhausting work, day and night, to preserve and protect our 
communities. In this post-9/11 era, they have an indispensable role in 
homeland security as well. It is vital to our national interest to 
ensure that these essential public services are carried out as 
effectively as possible.
  Strong partnerships between first responders and the cities and 
States they serve are vital to public safety. Studies show that 
cooperation between public safety employers and employees improves the 
quality of services communities receive and reduces worker fatalities. 
These strong, cooperative partnerships are built on bargaining 
relationships. Every New York City firefighter, emergency medical 
technician, and police officer who responded to the disaster at the 
World Trade Center on 9/11 was a union member under a collective 
bargaining agreement, and those agreements strengthened their ability 
to respond in that time of crisis.
  Unfortunately, many first responders across the country do not have 
basic workplace protections. Twenty-nine States and the District of 
Columbia guarantee all public safety workers the right to bargain 
collectively, but 21 States deny some or all of their public safety 
workers this fundamental right.
  Our Nation's first responders have earned the right to be treated 
with respect. The Cooperation Act will ensure that they receive that 
respect and will benefit from the same protections enjoyed by many 
other workers across the country. The bill gives public safety officers 
the right to bargain over wages, hours, and working conditions, and 
ensures that these rights are enforceable in State court. It also 
provides an efficient and effective means to resolve disputes in labor-
management conflicts.
  The Cooperation Act accomplishes these important goals in reasonable, 
moderate ways. States that already have collective bargaining in place 
for public safety workers are not affected by the bill. States that do 
not currently provide these protections may establish their own 
collective bargaining systems or ask the assistance of the Federal 
Labor Relations Authority in doing so. This approach respects existing 
State laws and gives each State full authority to decide how it will 
comply with the basic standards.
  America's public safety workers are prepared to put their lives on 
the line for their community each and every day. They deserve a voice 
at the table in the life-and-death decisions about their work. It is 
essential for their safety, the safety of our communities, and the 
safety of our entire Nation. It is a matter of basic fairness for these 
courageous men and women to have the same rights that have long 
benefited so many other Americans. I urge Congress to act quickly to 
provide these fundamental protections.

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