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March 21, 2011

Binding Arbitration for Municipal Employees

Carroll Andrew Morse

A second bill to be heard by the Labor committee tomorrow (H5700, h/t Mike Puyana) looks like an attempt to create binding arbitration for municipal employees who are not police officers, firefighters or teachers. There is a scattering changes made by this bill, but I believe this strikeout is the key one...

28-9.4-13. Appeal from decision. -- (a) The decision of the arbitrators shall be made public and shall be final and binding upon the municipal employees in the appropriate bargaining unit and their representative and the municipal employer on all matters. not involving the expenditure of money.
If I am reading this correctly, this would extend a binding arbitration provision that currently exists in Rhode Island law regarding non-financial matters concerning municipal employees to financial ones.

Comments

Yup. The vampire has risen from his grave. Huge problem.

That they can even consider this with the city of Providence now qualified for receivership is simply mind-boggling.

Posted by: Monique at March 21, 2011 10:25 PM

If you understand how it works, binding arbitration is essentially a scam to enrich the public sector unions. Do not fall for the "neutral" taglines for a moment. The entire arbitrator selection process is set up so that arbitrators have to come down in the middle on every case. That is not neutrality, that is insanity. It guarantees the unions raises year after year after year, even when the city is completely broke and the unions should be taking pay cuts.

Posted by: Dan at March 22, 2011 5:13 PM

Screw You. Pay Me.

Posted by: dave at March 22, 2011 5:41 PM