Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, offered a bold prediction for the 111th Congress, stating that he was "all but certain" that the organization's bill establishing minimal collective bargaining rights for public safety officers would be enacted before the end of 2009.

"This is not an assertion we make lightly, but we have laid the groundwork for success in this Congress and are already in strategy talks with key House and Senate leaders," Canterbury said. "We plan to have this bill introduced very early next year and wage a tightly focused campaign to bring it out of Committee and to the floor as quickly as possible."

The bill, H.R. 980/S. 2123, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act," passed the House in July 2007 on an overwhelming 314-97 vote. The legislation also won a strong majority in the Senate during a procedural motion, though efforts to move the bill were ultimately stalled by its opponents and the illness of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), the lead Democratic sponsor. The legislation would recognize the fundamental right of public safety employees to form and join unions and bargain collectively with their employers over wages, hours, and working conditions without undermining existing State collective bargaining laws. The legislation does not require binding arbitration, protects existing right-to-work laws, and specifically prohibits strikes and lockouts.

"There are no guarantees in politics, but we are as certain as we can be that we will prevail and pass this legislation before the end of next year," Canterbury said. "We are extremely confident that the FOP, together with our partners at the International Association of Fire Fighters, will be able to get this bill passed and signed into law before the end of 2009.

For more information, please contact the FOP's National Legislative Office at 202-547-8189 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)