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The Two Most Important Labor Bills in the
History of American Law Enforcement are Pending Before
Congress |
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In all the years of law enforcement legislative advocacy before the United States Congress, it appears that the two most important labor-related bills in the history of American law enforcement are currently pending before the United States Congress. These two bills are the Public Safety Employer - Employee Cooperation Act and the Law Enforcement Officers - Procedural Bill of Rights. Copies of these two crucial important bills are reproduced below at the end of this article. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act is essentially a quite toothless collective bargaining bill which in reality is a meet and confer bill. The bill does not provide for mandatory binding arbitration regarding any terms and conditions of employment. However, this bill is critically important because it will succeed in opening the door for public safety collective bargaining throughout America on a consistent basis. For many years, all but two states have either provided for or do not preclude collective bargaining by public employees. North Carolina is one of two states in the nation, along with Virginia, which expressly precludes public sector collective bargaining. This bill would enable public safety employees to meet and confer with, and then negotiate with management. Most major police agencies throughout the country have long operated under a collective bargaining system where police officers and their fundamental needs are respected. This bill would primarily benefit states like North Carolina and other southern states where public sector collective bargaining is unavailable. The second fundamental police labor related bill currently pending before Congress is the Law Enforcement Officers - Procedural Bill of Rights Act of 2009. This bill provides consistent uniform investigative, internal affairs and procedural standards to be applied throughout America regarding crucial matters involving internal investigations and the rights of law enforcement officers to defend themselves. As you will see from the attached bill, this would nationally codify what law enforcement officers in many jurisdictions already have. However, many states, including North Carolina, have not enacted such procedural rights thereby creating substantial confusion regarding what procedures are required during internal investigations. A number of police management groups have issued policies and other statements recognizing the need for uniform investigative standards and procedural rights. These two pending bills will promote substantial improvement in the lives of law enforcement officers. Every law enforcement officer should personally advocate with their Congressional representatives and United States Senators in support of these bills as they would promote safety, rights and benefits for Troopers and law enforcement officers. |
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