July 19, 2010 Dear Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, Appropriations Committee Chair Inouye, Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Cochran, HELP Committee Chair Harkin, and HELP Ranking Member Enzi: On behalf of the nation s 3,068 counties, 19,000 cities and towns, their county and city elected and appointed officials, elected sheriffs, and state and local personnel professionals we strongly urge you to oppose including the Public Safety Employer- Employee Cooperation Act (PSEECA) of 2009, in H.R. 4899, the emergency supplemental appropriations bill, which may be brought up for consideration in the next few days. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 deserves separate consideration and debate and should not be part of an appropriations bill designed to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and provide emergency disaster funds. As we have written repeatedly, the PSCEEA of 2009 would severely damage the historic relationships that exist between state and local elected officials, their employees, and the constituents they represent. State, county, and municipal officials provide workers with excellent salaries, benefits and working conditions that are responsive to the fiscal needs and limitations of state, county and city governments, and reflect the priorities of the communities that elected officials represent. This legislation would force states and localities to adopt federal collective bargaining standards, disregard existing state laws and ordinances that were developed to create an effective and efficient public sector workforce, and place the needs of a select group of workers public safety officers in front of the larger needs of the community or other public sector employees. It would, quite simply, undermine state, county and municipal autonomy with respect to making fundamental employment decisions by mandating specific working conditions, including collective bargaining. Even states that already have comprehensive collective bargaining laws are likely to be impacted by the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. The bill gives the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) the power to draft regulations defining the scope of collective bargaining and to decide whether or not states are in compliance with those regulations. Even the more than 35 states that have granted their state and local government employees the right to enter into collective bargaining arrangements of some type would be subject to FLRA review and could be out of compliance, even though these states have done so within the framework of their constitutions and state laws. The PSEECA would establish a precedent for federal interference in all employeeemployer relationships between state, county and municipal governments and their employees. In light of the labor protections provided by state laws, labor agreements, state, county and city government civil service systems and personnel procedures, we believe that this law is unnecessary at best and potentially very damaging at worst. States, counties, cities and towns have always been committed to providing their public safety workers with excellent working conditions, competitive salaries, excellent health and pension benefits, and a working environment that is safe and appropriate. At the same time, state, county, city and town elected officials must balance the needs of public safety
workers and the needs of the citizens they represent. The PSEECA would alter that balance permanently and irrevocably. On behalf of America s 3,068 counties, 19,000 cities and towns, their county and city elected and appointed officials, police chiefs, elected and appointed sheriffs, and state, county and city personnel professionals, we urge you to respect the long-standing principal of noninterference in employer-employee relations that has existed among the federal, state and local governments, and reject the Public Safety Employer- Employee Cooperation Act of 2009.
National Organizations, State Municipal Leagues, Cities and Towns, Counties and Other Organizations that Are Opposed to the Public Employer- Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 National Organizations: National Association of Counties (NACo) National League of Cities (NLC) National Sheriffs Association (NSA) International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) International City- County Management Association (ICMA) International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) National Association of Towns and Townships (NATAT) National School Boards Association (NSBA) National Public Employer Labor Relations Association (NPELRA) International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA- HR) College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Airports Council International- North America State Municipal Leagues and Associations of Counties: Alabama League of Municipalities Alaska Municipal League League of Arizona Cities and Towns Arkansas Municipal League League of California Cities Colorado Municipal League Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Delaware League of Local Governments Florida League of Cities, Inc. Georgia Municipal Association Association of Idaho Cities Illinois Municipal League Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Iowa League of Cities League of Kansas Municipalities Kentucky League of Cities, Inc. Louisiana Municipal Association Maine Municipal Association Maryland Municipal Association Massachusetts Municipal Association Michigan Municipal League League of Minnesota Cities Mississippi Municipal League Missouri Municipal League Montana League of Cities and Towns League of Nebraska Municipalities
Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities New Hampshire Local Government Center New Jersey State League of Municipalities New Mexico Municipal League New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials North Carolina League of Municipalities North Dakota League of Cities Ohio Municipal League Oklahoma Municipal League, Inc. League of Oregon Cities Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns Municipal Association of South Carolina South Dakota Municipal League Tennessee Municipal League Texas Municipal League Utah League of Cities and Towns Vermont League of Cities and Towns Virginia Municipal League Association of Washington Cities West Virginia Municipal League League of Wisconsin Municipalities Wyoming Association of Municipalities Association of County Commissioners of Georgia South Carolina Association of Counties Virginia Association of Counties Cities, Towns, and Counties: City of Albemarle, North Carolina City of Auburn, Alabama City of Albemarle, North Carolina City of Athens, Tennessee City of Boaz, Alabama City of Burleson, Texas City of Burlington, North Carolina City of Charlotte, North Carolina City of Coffeyville, Kansas City of Concord, North Carolina City of Concordia, Kansas City of Coppell, Texas City of Decatur, Alabama City of Delray Beach, Florida City of Fargo, North Dakota City of Frisco, Texas City of Glenn Heights, Texas City of Garland, Texas
City of Gastonia, North Carolina City of Haltom City, Texas City of Howell, Michigan City of Idaho Falls, Idaho City of Lake Forest, Illinois City of Laramie, Wyoming City of Lee s Summit, Missouri City of Manassas, Virginia City of Margate, Florida City of Monroe, North Carolina City of Moscow, Idaho City of Memphis, Tennessee City of Mountain Brook, Alabama City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina City of Norfolk, Virginia City of North Charleston South Carolina City of Northport, Alabama City of Mountain Brook, Alabama City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee City of Peachtree City, Georgia City of Pflugerville, Texas City of Phenix, Alabama City of Plantation, Florida City of Protection, Kansas City of Rockwall, Texas City of St. Albans, West Virginia City of St. Joseph, Missouri City of Scottsdale, Arizona City of Sedona, Arizona City of Shawnee, Kansas City of Springfield, Tennessee City of Valley Center, Kansas City of Waco, Texas City of West University Place, Texas City of Wichita, Kansas County of Calvert, Maryland County of Carroll, Maryland County of Cumberland, North Carolina County of Davis, Utah County of Franklin, North Carolina County of Gwinnett, Georgia County of Hamilton, Tennessee County of Hanover, Virginia County of Iron, Utah County of Isle of Wight County, Virginia County of Johnston, North Carolina County of Loudon, Virginia County of Mecklenburg, North Carolina
County of Pinal, Arizona County of Prince William, Virginia County of Rockingham, Virginia County of Yakima, Washington County of York, Virginia Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska Municipality of Winfield, West Virginia Town of Apex, North Carolina Town of Bel Air, Maryland Town of Bel Aire, Kansas Town of Breckenridge, Colorado Town of Buckeye, Arizona Town of Cary, North Carolina Town of Fishers, Indiana Town of Marana, Arizona Town of Matthews, North Carolina Town of Mooresville, North Carolina Town of Morrisville, North Carolina Township of Breitung, Michigan Chambers of Commerce: Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte, North Carolina Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver, Colorado Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Greater Winston- Salem Chamber of Commerce, Winston- Salem, North Carolina Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Virginia High Point Chamber of Commerce, High Point, North Carolina Loudon Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, Virginia South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry Virginia Chamber of Commerce Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Virginia
Coalition for North Carolina Jobs: Capital Associated Industries Carolinas Associated General Contractors Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Education: Everybody s Business Coalition Employers Coalition of North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Greenville Pitt County Chamber of Commerce Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council National Federation of Independent Businesses National Right to Work Committee North Carolina Association of County Commissioners North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police North Carolina Association of School Administrators North Carolina Chamber of Commerce North Carolina Poultry Federation North Carolina Assisted Living Association North Carolina Economic Developers Association North Carolina Growers Association North Carolina Hospital Association North Carolina League of Municipalities North Carolina Mining Association North Carolina Pork Council Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Public School Forum of North Carolina North Carolina Metro Coalition of Chiefs of Police North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association North Carolina Retail Merchants Association North Carolina School Boards Association North Carolina Sheriff s Association Professional Educators of North Carolina The Employers Association Union County Chamber of Commerce Western Carolina Industries American Subcontractors Association of the Carolinas Other Organizations: Alabama Association of Public Personnel Administrators Parish of Caddo Sheriff's Office, Louisiana Colorado State Association of Fire Chiefs
Cumberland Mountain Community Services Board, Cedar Bluff, Virginia Florida Public Personnel Association (FPPA) Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association County of Larimer Sheriff s Office, Colorado Loudon CEO Cabinet, Virginia State of Louisiana Department of State Civil Service City of Matthews Fire and EMS Department, North Carolina New York State Public Employer Labor Relations Association North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District North Dakota Chiefs of Police Association Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association Public Employer Labor Relations Association of California Texas Police Chiefs Association Texas Public Employers Labor Relations Association Virginia Chapter, IPMA- HR City of Wahpeton Police Department, North Dakota City of West Fargo Police Administration, North Dakota