By a bipartisan vote of 42–1, the House Education and Labor Committee has approved legislation to guarantee the rights of firefighters, police officers, and EMS workers in all 50 states to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions, according to a committee press release.

“The brave men and women who risk their lives each day and serve as our first line of defense against medical emergencies, criminals, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks deserve the right to bargain with their employers,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the committee.

Approximately 20 states do not fully protect the collective bargaining rights of public safety employees, and two states — Virginia and North Carolina — prohibit public safety employees from collectively bargaining.

“Our firefighters and police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe. This was tragically demonstrated Monday night by the nine firefighters killed in a furniture warehouse fire in Charleston, S.C.,” said Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.). “Unfortunately, some states in this country deny our public safety employees the basic right to discuss workplace issues with their employers — a right many Americans take for granted.”

If it becomes law, the Public Safety Employer–Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 would provide basic labor protections for state and local public safety workers, including:

• The right to join a union;
• The right to have the union recognized by the employer; 
• The right to bargain collectively over hours, wages, and terms and conditions of employment; 
• A mediation or arbitration process for resolving an impasse in negotiations; and
• Enforcement of the bill’s provisions through the courts.