Thomas Daschle: “Every day firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers literally risk their lives to protect our safety. In 18…”

“Every day firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers literally risk their lives to protect our safety. In 18 States, public safety workers do not currently have the legal right--the legal right--to sit down with their employers and talk about their own health and about their own safety. That is why we offer this amendment this afternoon, the Public Safety Employee-Employer Cooperation amendment. It is identical to the bipartisan bill offered by Senators Gregg and Kennedy, who both spoke in favor of this amendment last week. The amendment is very simple. It guarantees that public safety officers have the right to form and join a union; have the right to bargain collectively over hours, wages, and conditions of employment-- period. Studies have shown, as Senator Kennedy and others have noted, that fewer firefighters are killed in the line of duty in States where collective bargaining exists, States where public safety officers have a say in their working conditions. Our proposal expressly forbids strikes or lockouts by public safety workers. Contrary to assertions by some of the opponents of this amendment, our proposal does not override State right-to-work laws.”