Oklahoma Panel Votes to Repeal Collective Bargaining

[steve2470]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/23/oklahoma-panel-votes-repeal-collective-bargaining/

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A state House committee has narrowly approved legislation that would repeal collective bargaining rights for municipal employees in Oklahoma's 13 largest cities.

The House General Government Committee voted 9-7 Wednesday to repeal the Municipal Employees Collective Bargaining Act. The measure was passed by lawmakers in 2004 and requires cities with populations of more than 35,000 to collectively bargain with their workers.

The community services director for Midwest City, Vaughn Sullivan, says the law has divided his city's workforce and some workers don't want to be bound by collective bargaining agreements.

[steve2470]

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[steve2470]

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http://newsok.com/bill-targets-bargaining-law/article/3543457

Oklahoma House bill takes aim at municipal collective bargaining law

A bill that would repeal the state's entire municipal employee collective bargaining act for nonuniformed workers narrowly passed a House committee Wednesday. If passed, the measure would kick out a 2004 law that allowed nonuniformed employees of cities with at least 35,000 residents to form a union.

Rep. Steve Martin, author of House Bill 1593, said later his intent was not to affect the four cities
"including the state's two largest cities” that had collective bargaining agreements with nonuniformed workers before the 2004 bill passed. Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman and Muskogee had agreements before the 2004 law.

It is targeted for the nine other cities that the 2004 law forced to enter collective bargaining agreements with nonuniformed workers, he said. The law required cities and towns with more than 35,000 but didn't apply to county or state employees.

He said he didn't think cities in which voters gave their approval to collective bargaining for nonuniformed employees would be affected by his legislation.