The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act would guarantee collective bargaining rights to state and local public safety officers, including police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. The bill requires states to provide these workers with rights including the ability to form unions, bargain over wages and working conditions, and access to binding arbitration to resolve contract disputes. States that already offer comparable collective bargaining protections would not be affected, but those that do not would have until 2 years after the bill's enactment to update their laws or face federal oversight through the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The legislation prohibits public safety workers from striking or engaging in job actions that disrupt emergency services, though it does not preempt state laws that already restrict such actions. The bill authorizes whatever funding is necessary to implement these requirements but does not specify an amount or timeline for appropriations.
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