AWF Will Rate Vote on Harkin Amendment to Farm Bill
Click to download official Legislative Alert
AWF WILL RATE PASSAGE OF HARKIN AMENDMENT TO FARM BILL
Amendment Denies Separation of Powers & Forces Collective Bargaining on States
The Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) strongly urges all Senators to oppose the Harkin Amendment (3830) to the Farm Bill, which would force state and local governments to collectively bargain with first responders.
This amendment, a version of which already passed the House, mandates that city governments engage in collective bargaining with labor unions representing public safety officers and emergency first responders. Such clear and egregious consolidation of powers is expressively forbidden in the United States Constitution, and is without precedent in the history of federal labor law.
Congress has a solid record of not interfering in labor matters which have always been left up to capable state governments. This issue has been considered an un-crossable line until now. As a member of the 110th Congress, you would be laying down a pro-union marker which far more liberal Congresses have purposely not approached.
Given that union bosses often encourage and push for strikes over supercilious circumstances to further their own personal agendas, consider the repercussions of an emergency first responder, police or fire strike in your home state, or perhaps even your neighborhood.
Congress has NEVER interfered with this respected boundary until now. Senator, it is imperative that you do not set precedent that tramples on our nation’s principles of freedom by voting “no” on the Harkin Amendment to the Farm Bill.
