Prince George’s County Council is considering approval of a union contract covering firefighters and paramedics. But legal developments around the country should give council members pause about rubberstamping the contract as is.
In Arizona, Pennsylvania and Idaho, lawsuits against a government union contract provision—that appears in numerous Maryland public-sector union contracts including nearly all of Prince George’s County’s—are underway. Under legal scrutiny is a provision that permits public employees to perform union business that does not serve a public purpose on the taxpayer dime.
International Association of Firefighters for instance, the Prince George’s County union contract awaiting County Council approval grants the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1619 576 hours to attend union conferences and seminars. Additionally, a bank of leave allows for 1500 more hours to conduct unidentified union business instead of public services. All of this is afforded to the union without loss of pay. So instead of fighting fires or paramedics saving lives, they conduct union business.