Crime & Safety
Birmingham Firefighters Join Protest in Lansing
Firefighters and police officers from throughout Michigan are opposed to a proposed bill that would change how contract negotiations are handled.
Birmingham firefighters were among hundreds of firefighters and police officers from across the state who rallied Wednesday at the state Capitol in Lansing to protest a bill that would repeal the binding arbitration law.
Firefighters and police officers are opposed to a bill introduced in the state House Feb. 8 by Rep. Joe Haveman (R-Holland) that would repeal Public Act 312, which provides for binding arbitration between municipal governments and police or fire departments. Under the act, in place since 1969, unions may not strike. Instead, a third party is brought in to hear all facts on the dispute and make a nonpartisan decision, which unions and governments are legally bound to follow.
The act is desirable, firefighters and police say, because it helps settle negotiations in a timely manner and helps mediate between their unions and government officials while ensuring that they remain at work. The current bill, HB 4205, would repeal the act in its entirety.
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Chief Michael Metz said the law acts as a problem solver during negotiations, one many of the department's firefighters don't want to see go away. Metz said the arbitration law is put to good use in Birmingham. In June, the department's firefighters' three-year contract with the city ended, with both sides using binding arbitration to come up with a new contract.
Haveman told Grand Rapids talk radio station AM 1230 that the act created "disproportionate (wage) increases for police and fire over other employees," because, according to him, the binding arbitration favors unions and adds a high cost burden to city governments. "It's just not sustainable," he said.
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Metz said that while he supports his firefighters, he's not completely sure what direction arbitration laws will take in upcoming years. "I don't know if there something better out there," he said. "Plus, we may see more of this as communities are asked to make more concessions."
– Dearborn Patch Editor Jessica Carreras contributed to this report.
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