[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 115 (Monday, August 2, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6578-S6579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE COOPERATION ACT

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am deeply concerned because this is a 
matter that, unlike an awful lot of the subject matters that we bring 
up and engage in, has bipartisan support in this Chamber; that is, the 
ability of our first responders to be able to collectively bargain in 
the workplace. These are our firefighters, our police officers, and our 
emergency personnel.
  This is a bill that was championed by Senator Kennedy before he left 
us--a bill that has been introduced by our good friend and colleague 
from New Hampshire, Judd Gregg, along with five other the Republican 
Members of this Chamber, along with many Democrats. In fact, it goes 
back over a decade, this issue of seeing to it that these, the most 
celebrated, the most highly endorsed and supported of public employees, 
would have the right to collectively bargain.
  This is not something guaranteed in all States. Many States do it, 
but many do not. So I am terribly disappointed that once again, just 
days away from the adjournment of this Congress, these individuals who 
consistently enjoy the outspoken praise of public officials for their 
work, when it comes down to actually doing something on their behalf we 
find the Congress missing the opportunity to step up.
  I hope I am wrong about this. We have a lot of issues to grapple with 
in the coming days, I know. But my hope is that the Public Safety 
Employer-Employee Cooperation Act will be an item we can pass before 
the adjournment of this Congress. As I mentioned, Mr. President, this 
is a bipartisan measure that would guarantee our Nation's firefighters, 
our law enforcement officers, and our emergency medical personnel the 
right to bargain collectively with their employers.
  Again, I thank Senator Gregg, who is a champion of this proposal, for 
his longstanding commitment to this critically important piece of 
legislation, which was originally championed in the Senate by our good 
friend, Ted Kennedy. We ask our Nation's first responders to put their 
lives on the line each and every day in our country. What they do is 
more than a job. I think most of us appreciate that it is a calling. It 
is a vocation. Throughout my career in public service, I have had the 
privilege to meet and work with, as I know most of my colleagues have, 
countless first responders--police, firefighters, emergency medical 
personnel. They do exceptional work under the most difficult of 
circumstances, and the American public appreciates their service more 
than they do any other people in public life.

  In particular, I have come to appreciate the unique and multi-faceted 
challenges faced by firefighters.
  We have all felt our chests tighten and our pulses quicken with 
anxiety at the sound of a fire engine screaming through town.
  We have seen the determination on the faces of the people on those 
rigs. For them, all the commotion is just another day at the office.
  When the unthinkable happens--a devastating hurricane, industrial 
accident, terrorist attack, or three-alarm fire--these brave men and 
women are the first on the scene, hurtling into danger, to save lives.
  Just this past year firefighters in my home State of Connecticut have 
been faced with many serious challenges--and have met them every time.
  In February, when a massive natural gas explosion at a power plant 
under construction in Middletown, CT, killed six people and injured 
more than two dozen others, firefighters from eight surrounding towns 
rushed to the scene.
  They remained for hours and days afterwards, searching for victims 
and working to ensure that all the plant workers were accounted for.
  When massive flooding hit several parts of my State, local 
firefighters

[[Page S6579]]

worked around the clock responding to calls from panicked residents. 
They dealt with hazardous materials and even helped to pump out flooded 
basements.
  They are committed to keeping our communities safe, even when that 
means putting their own lives at risk for the sake of protecting ours.
  In the abstract, this can be hard to keep in perspective.
  But unfortunately, the community of Bridgeport, CT, was recently 
reminded just what this commitment means.
  A week ago, two firefighters, Lieutenant Steven Velasquez and Michel 
`Mitch' Baik, were killed while fighting a fire in a home in that 
community. Three of their colleagues were also injured.
  All of these individuals were incredibly brave--they entered a 
burning building to search for survivors and try to prevent the 
emergency from spreading.
  This tragedy highlights just how selfless and courageous these people 
are each and every day.
  And it should remind us all that, just as they have made a solemn 
commitment to us, so too must we affirm our commitment to them.
  Part of our commitment is to ensure that they never, ever, put their 
lives at risk on our behalf without the proper equipment and training.
  I have worked tirelessly over the years to ensure that this 
commitment is kept.
  That is why I authored the Firefighter Investment and Response 
Enhancement--FIRE--Act back in 2000. This legislation created the first 
competitive grant program to assist local fire departments in 
addressing a wide range of equipment, training, and other fire 
prevention needs. Senator John Warner, the chairman of the Armed 
Services Committee, was my partner in that effort, making it possible 
for it to become law.
  To date this program has provided more than $5.2 billion directly to 
fire departments.
  And these grants have not just gone to the largest metropolitan 
areas. Fire departments in small and medium-sized communities across 
the country have received funds through the program--including 
departments in 150 of the 169 towns in my home State of Connecticut.
  In 2003, we built on the success of the FIRE program by passing the 
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response Firefighters--SAFER--bill, which I also authored.
  This program provides funds to ensure that fire departments are 
adequately staffed. Too many of these rigs go out with only two or 
three people on them when a minimum of four is required to make sure 
that they are safe doing their jobs. Since the program began, more than 
$1.1 billion has helped to put over 75,000 additional firefighters in 
our Nation's firehouses.
  I am extremely proud to have been able to work with my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to get these important programs enacted.
  But our commitment to our public safety community is still not 
complete.
  As the Presiding Officer knows, the bipartisan Public Safety 
Employer-Employee Cooperation Act is a critical next step towards 
fulfilling our commitment to the men and women who keep us safe.
  As we know, firefighters, police, and emergency medical personnel 
have a special place in the workforce and in society. They are 
respected for what they do. But they are also respected for doing it no 
matter what they face.
  Once they get the call, they don't get to decide whether to take it 
or not--they just go.
  We depend on them every day, and they respond with unquestioned 
dedication.
  They are looking out for our well-being. Do we not owe it to them to 
look out for theirs?
  In many States these brave men and women are deprived one of the most 
basic rights that workers in America have--to bargain collectively with 
their employers.
  The right to collectively bargain has been proven over time to 
improve cooperation between employers and employees.
  This cooperation leads to better, fairer compensation and benefits. 
It contributes to improved work conditions and safety. And it makes the 
quality of services better and more efficient for everyone.
  Quality and efficiency is vitally important in the field of public 
safety. It can be the difference between an emergency and a tragedy.
  I know that improving public safety is a goal that I share with every 
single Member of this body.
  The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act is a carefully 
crafted bill that grants these rights to all first responders, without 
disrupting their vital role in emergency response.
  While it requires that all States provide public safety workers with 
the most basic of collective bargaining rights, it also gives States 
the flexibility to implement plans that work best for them.
  These include the right to form and join unions, and to collectively 
bargain over wages, hours and working conditions--rights that many 
States, including my State of Connecticut, already provide to these 
workers.
  The bill also allows States with right-to-work laws--which prohibit 
contracts requiring union membership for employment--to continue to 
enforce those laws.
  Importantly, the bill explicitly provides for safeguards against the 
disruption of emergency services. It does this with strong language 
explicitly prohibiting any strikes, lockouts, or other work stoppages.
  Of course this legislation is about more than negotiating wages, 
hours, and benefits. For our Nation's first responders, this 
cooperation means so much more.
  It means that the men and women who risk their lives every day 
keeping us safe can sit down and relate their real life experiences to 
their employers.
  It also means that their on-the-ground expertise will be used to help 
public safety agencies improve services in the community.
  When tragedies have struck us, from the September 11 attacks to 
Hurricane Katrina, to the house fire in Bridgeport, CT, just last week, 
these workers were the first on the scene and the last to leave.
  We owe them everything, and all they ask in return is the dignity and 
respect in the workplace that all workers deserve.
  The legislation before us is important to them; therefore, it should 
be important to us, regardless of panty and ideology.
  As I say, this legislation already has strong bipartisan support in 
this Chamber. All we are looking for is the opportunity to bring it up 
and vote yes or no. After almost 20 years, with a well-crafted bill 
that protects against work stoppages and strikes and respects so-called 
right-to-work States--can we not guarantee this basic right of 
collective bargaining?
  I hope before we adjourn that, after 20 years and at a unique 
opportunity, after all the speeches that have been given in praise and 
gratitude for the service of these men and women, we can give something 
back to them. This is the one thing that our first responders--our 
police, our emergency medical personnel and our firefighters--have 
asked of us. They appreciate all the wonderful speeches, all the great 
remarks, all the accolades, all the commendations. But what they would 
like to have, more than anything else, is for us to recognize their 
right to collectively bargain. That is something we ought to be able to 
give these fine men and women who serve our country every single day.
  I urge my colleagues to give us one chance to vote on this 
legislation and decide whether we want to say to them how much we 
appreciate what they do. That is what we are asking for before we 
adjourn in this Congress.
  I yield the floor.

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