Proposition 1 Will Crush Fort Worth Budget
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brian M Johnson
26 OCTOBER 2007
202-785-0266
Proposition 1 Will Crush Ft. Worth Budget
Labor Group Opposes Recent Collective Bargaining Rights Push in TX
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) issued a statement opposing Proposition 1 in Fort Worth, Texas, which will force the city to engage in collective bargaining rights with local firefighters.
Previously opposed 7-1 by the Fort Worth City Council and with similar legislation churning at the federal level that will mandate that a state engage in collective bargaining with first responders, this issue has everyone’s ear to the ground. But according to AWF’s policy director Brian Johnson, “Collective bargaining is nothing more than a vehicle used by the union-bosses to hold state budgets hostage.”
Currently, 37 states have some form of collective bargaining rights. These rights vary in degree of transparency, from states that allow public access to bargaining sessions like Florida and Alaska, to states with completely closed sessions such as Delaware and Connecticut. Johnson says collective bargaining measures can render the employer or the state helpless to the demands of the union.
“When states cave and force collective bargaining, everyone loses,” says Johnson. “These ‘rights’ are used by union-bosses to extort money from the state and dominate the market. In Fort Worth, the firefighters are going to levy more control and more negotiating power than any other service provider – is that fair?”
This measure will not only affect the members who are pushing for bargaining rights. “This will restrict the ability of the elected city officials to control benefits and regulate salary. If the firefighters go on strike and demand more money, guess who will now pay their salary: the taxpayer.”
Proposition 1 is expected to be a special ballot on the November 6 election.
AWF Website:
www.workerfreedom.org
