from Senator Lamar Alexander
Tennessee knows what’s best for Tennessee.  Sometimes though, Congress tries to push legislation that is better for Washington than for our state.  One of these bills is the Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act currently being debated in the Senate that would overturn labor laws in Tennessee and 20 other states by imposing federal mandates for unionization and collective bargaining for public safety employees.

This bill could mean higher taxes and less public services for Tennesseans.  The Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act, which is currently being debated in the Senate, would overturn labor laws in Tennessee and 20 other states by imposing federal mandates for unionization and collective bargaining for public safety employees.

Our firefighters, policemen, and other public safety workers are some of the most honored men and women in our country.  We have over 700 fire departments in Tennessee, and we were grateful for the heroism of firefighters everywhere on 9/11.  Local firefighters in Tennessee and across the Southeast were among the first on the scene after the deadly tornadoes earlier this year and we are deeply grateful.

And there are countless examples of bravery by Tennessee firefighters.  Charles Martinez from Maryville, my hometown, was named Tennessee firefighter of the year in 2004 for giving his kidney to a fellow firefighter. We deeply admire him for that.

In 2006, Lieutenant Terrance Andrews of Chattanooga was named Tennessee firefighter of the year for his dramatic rescue during a house fire in which he pulled the security bars away from a window to save Virginia Humphrey. Ms. Humphrey was injured and spent some time in a hospital, but she fully recovered. I admire Lieutenant Terrance Andrews’ bravery.

Another example: firefighter Shane Daughetee of the Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department in Chattanooga died in the line of duty in January of last year when he was trying to rescue a family. We mourn Shane Daughetee’s death and admire the bravery of that individual.
 

All of us admire and respect the bravery of firefighters and other public safety employees in all our communities. But that is not what the Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act is about.  Better names for this bill would be the “Washington Knows Best” and “More Unfunded Federal Mandates” Act.

When I was Governor of Tennessee, I remember the debate we had about whether public safety employees – firefighters, police, and others – should be allowed to collectively bargain in our state.  Did we need to authorize collectively bargaining so there could be better communication, better cooperation, a more effective fire department, a more effective police department?  The answer during the 8 years I was Governor was in every case, no, it was not in the public interest.

This proposal has been considered in Tennessee repeatedly since I left the Governor’s office – in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005.  Each time the state has come to the same conclusion.  Elected officials in nearly half of our states have come to that same conclusion. Twenty-one states have decided that in the case of public safety employees, those we admire so much and whom we count on in times of distress, collective bargaining should not be required.

What the Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act would do is overturn that judgment. It would say the judgment of Congress is better than that of the state legislature of Tennessee. The judgment of Congress may be better for some states, but I don’t think it’s better for Tennessee. I imagine the Senators from 20 other states have the same opinion.

I think it is inappropriate for the Congress of the United States to overturn laws in 21 states that, in one form or another, do not allow for collective bargaining of public service employees. This proposed legislation would say to the mayors of small towns in Tennessee: You will collectively bargain. Instead of dealing directly with your firemen and your policemen and your other public safety employees, you will appoint somebody or let them pick somebody and you will deal with that person.

Most of the cities and towns in Tennessee that would be affected by this bill do not think that communication is improved with by allowing public safety employees to collectively bargain.  On top of that, this will inevitably impose new costs on smaller towns.  It would be an unfunded federal mandate.  That’s why I have offered an amendment that says the law will have no effect in any local community that certifies that it would lead to higher taxes, cuts in services, or would otherwise compromise public safety.  I’m calling it my “no more unfunded federal mandates” amendment.

I think the people of this country should admire and respect and honor our firefighters. But we should also admire and respect and honor our Constitution and our federal system and say that we may have different opinions in different states and different cities about what we should do.  Federalism is a good thing, and people that make laws in Washington need to remember where they come from.  They need to remember that most of the wisdom doesn’t reside in Washington – it’s back home.

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