S. 636, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, establishes federal collective bargaining rights for state and local public safety officers including police, firefighters, and emergency medical services workers. The bill requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to review each state's labor laws within 180 days and mandate that states without comparable protections allow public safety workers to form unions, negotiate wages and working conditions, and use binding arbitration to resolve disputes. While the legislation prohibits strikes and lockouts that could disrupt emergency services, it preserves existing union agreements and allows states to maintain their own labor standards if they provide equal or greater protections. The Federal Labor Relations Authority will oversee union elections, resolve labor disputes, and investigate unfair labor practices, with enforcement power shared between the federal authority and state agencies or courts. The bill's stated purpose is to strengthen national security and disaster response capabilities by supporting labor-management cooperation among essential public safety personnel.
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