Our police and law enforcement work hard to keep our communities safe. Unions for police and law enforcement are important and protect their rights as workers. In order to ensure our communities are kept safe, Act 111 of 1968 does not allow municipal police to strike and instead allows them to go through binding arbitration when there is a contract dispute.
 
Transit police, campus police, and some state law enforcement units are examples of police and law enforcement who are not covered by Act 111 but are covered by Act 195 of 1975. This means that these police and law enforcement officers do not have access to binding arbitration and are able to strike. This can cause disruption for the communities they serve.
 
My legislation would amend Act 195 to allow for more police and law enforcement officers to access binding arbitration. Binding arbitration is good for workers and ensures officers are at work, doing their job for the people of the Commonwealth.
 
I urge you to co-sponsor this important legislation. This bill will help keep our communities safe by allowing more police and law enforcement officers to go through binding arbitration rather than strike.