Bill > S636

This bill, known as the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, aims to establish collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states and local governments. The bill defines public safety officers as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services employees, and provides them with several key rights, including the ability to form and join labor organizations, bargain collectively over wages and working conditions, and access binding interest arbitration to resolve negotiation impasses. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) will play a crucial role in implementing the bill, with responsibilities to assess each state's existing labor laws, issue regulations if a state's laws do not meet the bill's standards, supervise union elections, resolve labor disputes, and enforce compliance. States with existing laws that provide comparable or greater rights to public safety officers will not be preempted, and the bill explicitly prohibits strikes or other job actions that would disrupt emergency services. The legislation recognizes the important role of public safety officers in national security and emergency response, and seeks to establish a framework of labor-management cooperation based on trust, mutual respect, and shared accountability, while ensuring that existing collective bargaining agreements and certifications remain valid.

Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/636/all-info