NAPO Press Release  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 1999
CONTACT: JODY COUSER
(202) 842-3560

Washington, D.C. - The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) announced today that the organization was successful in its lobbying efforts with the introduction in the U.S. House of Representatives of the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1999". Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI) and Representative Bob Ney (R-OH) are the lead sponsors of the bill, H.R. 1093, which was introduced with 128 original co-sponsors.

H.R. 1093, if passed into law, would allow state and local public safety officers the right to reach and maintain agreements concerning rates of pay, hours and working conditions, and to settle differences with management through collective bargaining. Law enforcement officers, fire fighters and emergency medical service personnel and agencies would be prohibited under this legislation from engaging in lockouts or strikes.

NAPO working in a coalition with the International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the International Union of Police Associations and the Fraternal Order of Police, sought Congressmen Kildee and Ney's leadership in having the bill introduced in the House.

Collective bargaining for law enforcement officers has been one of NAPO's top legislative priorities for many years. Congress has granted collective bargaining rights to public employees such as letter carriers, postal clerks, public transit employees and most recently, congressional employees. However, under existing state and federal laws many law enforcement officers in the United States are denied the rights and benefits of collective bargaining.
   
Those persons involved in the law enforcement profession endure strenuous, stressful and ultra-hazardous conditions, and therefore, are particularly needful of the benefits of collective bargaining. History proves that the denial of the right to collective bargaining causes poor morale, work stoppages, unfair and inadequate working conditions and low productivity.

"It is NAPO's belief that collective bargaining is the most effective and democratic means by which labor and management in both the private and public sectors have been able to achieve cooperation, improved productivity and the betterment of employment conditions. It is critical to law enforcement that legislation is passed which encourages final and binding resolutions of grievances in exchange for a no-strike/no lockout requirement," said Robert T. Scully, NAPO's executive director.
   
"NAPO strongly urges support from every member of Congress for the prompt passage of H.R. 1093, and urges President Clinton to support this bill which is so important to our nation's public safety officers," continued Scully.

NAPO will continue its lobbying efforts both on its own and through the coalition for a similar bill to be sponsored in the Senate and for the eventual passage of this important legislation.


The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States that serves in Washington, DC to advance the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. Founded in 1978, NAPO now represents more than 4,000 police unions and associations, 250,000 sworn law enforcement officers, 3,000 retired officers and more than 100,000 citizens who share a common dedication to fair and effective crime control and law enforcement.
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