Public safety chills

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After years of scheming, waiting, and investing forced dues into the campaigns of their handpicked politicians, Big Labor bosses believe they are just one step away from a big payoff.

Their goal is simple: Ram the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill (H.R. 980) into law by any means necessary.

Just before the August recess, under suspension of the rules, union-label politicians succeeded in passing the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill through the House.

Thanks to the union bosses' propaganda machine, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ran into little difficulty. Misguided congressmen from both sides of the aisle rushed to support the bill that union chiefs were claiming was "in the best interest of our nation." Nothing could be further from the truth. Today, the bill resides in the Senate, where the real fight could begin any day.

Unfortunately, in the private sector, current federal law already grants union officials monopoly bargaining power over all employees in a so-called bargaining unit, regardless of the wishes of state and local officials and their constituents.

But fortunately at least, until now states and localities have always had the authority to negotiate and set policies for their own public employees. Should the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill pass, however, the federal government would effectively mandate monopoly bargaining over state and local public-safety workers in all 50 states.

That means police officers, firefighters and EMTs across the country would be forced under Big Labor monopoly control.

Under monopoly bargaining, union officials are the so-called exclusive representative. Individual workers must accept union representation and are explicitly forbidden from representing themselves.

This prohibition, enforced by fines and firings for violators, is the very foundation of compulsory unionism.

Local governments found not to be in compliance with so-called core provisions of this legislation would automatically be put under the jurisdiction of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).