ALL WPPA MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO CONTACT SEN. RON BROWN TO URGE A COMMITTEE HEARING AND VOTE ON ARBITRATION OF DISCIPLINE BILL
July 18, 2005
Senator Ron Brown, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform, has yet to agree to hold a hearing and vote on the WPPA’s arbitration of discipline bill. The Wisconsin State Assembly passed AB 185 on June 14th in an impressive display of bipartisan support, and the bill must now be approved by this committee before it can be voted upon in the State Senate. The Senate passed the bill in 2001.
Information about Assembly Bill 185:
Under current law, when a city, village, or town police officer is disciplined by a police and fire commission, their only method of appeal is through circuit court. This process can be very lengthy and costly for both the employer and the officer. AB 185 provides municipal law enforcement officers with the opportunity to appeal the decision of a police and fire commission to an arbitrator, rather than to a circuit court, if permitted in the officers' collective bargaining agreement.
Despite what the opponents to AB 185 will represent, arbitration of discipline for police officers is hardly new. For years it was accepted that the law allowed for this alternative dispute resolution process. In fact, prior to 1995, when a court of appeals precluded the arbitration of discipline option, not a single bill was introduced in the state legislature to render circuit court review the sole and exclusive avenue for appeal of PFC decisions. That fact alone should speak volumes.
Moreover, arbitration of discipline is already permitted for other public employees, including county law enforcement officers. The labor rights afforded the dedicated men and women of Wisconsin’s law enforcement community should not depend upon the color of the uniform they wear. Current law allows for this illogical and inequitable result.
Opponents of AB 185 have attempted to argue that this bill would diminish the authority of PFCs to render discipline. This position is baseless, and neglects the fact that PFC decisions can already be the subject of circuit court review. AB 185 does not mandate that municipalities must offer arbitration, nor does this add another step in the appeals process for officers. If arbitration is an option, and the officer utilizes it, they forego the option to appeal to circuit court. AB 185 merely allows for a more efficient and less expensive alternative to circuit court review, and only where permitted in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
All WPPA members are encouraged to call Senator Ron Brown to urge him to schedule a committee hearing and vote on this bill. The active participation of our members can make all the difference.
| CALL SENATOR RON BROWN TODAY AT (877) 763-6636 (toll free) TO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT HE SCHEDULE A COMMITTEE HEARING AND VOTE ON AB 185 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. |
Anyone with questions or comments is encouraged to contact WPPA lobbyist Jim Palmer by telephone at 1-800-362-8838, or by e-mail at palmer@wppa.com.
