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Every year, countless unions across the country coax countless government officials into interest arbitration for public employees when negotiations reach impasse. And like cattle, the government officials go along with it, spending taxpayer money on a pointless and pretentious process that has no purpose, value or enforcability. Arbitrators' rulings over contract negotiation disputes cannot override the policy decisions of elected representatives. In other words, elected legislatures are the arbitrators. There is no point hiring an outsider arbitrator to come in and make a decision when that decision has no jurisdiction. City and state government should stop wasting taxpayer money on a legal process that is only for sake of appearances for unions' benefit to make legislators think the arbitrator's "decision" is binding (because arbitrators' decisions usually are binding, but in this case, they're not).
You should watch what happens when your state or local government reaches impasse in negotiations, and when it consents to going through this optional crap with arbitrators, speak up. Make sure your elected local and state leaders understand that even when statute entitles unions to go through the process of interest arbitration (which may or may not be the case), the arbitrator's award to the union is never ultimately binding on the legislature anyway. Unions are not entitled to arbitration at all in some cases, and the municipality or state and its taxpayers do not benefit from continuing to let unions drag them through these pointless procedures. You should also petition your local and state leaders to pass laws that state the government will not subject itself voluntarily to interest arbitration and that even if a higher government or court of law demands that interest arbitration take place, that it is recognized that no arbitrator's decision will be considered or called "binding" on the legislature (because it isn't).
Related story from my state that inspired the thread: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anc...trators-decision-and-proposed-union-contract/
You should watch what happens when your state or local government reaches impasse in negotiations, and when it consents to going through this optional crap with arbitrators, speak up. Make sure your elected local and state leaders understand that even when statute entitles unions to go through the process of interest arbitration (which may or may not be the case), the arbitrator's award to the union is never ultimately binding on the legislature anyway. Unions are not entitled to arbitration at all in some cases, and the municipality or state and its taxpayers do not benefit from continuing to let unions drag them through these pointless procedures. You should also petition your local and state leaders to pass laws that state the government will not subject itself voluntarily to interest arbitration and that even if a higher government or court of law demands that interest arbitration take place, that it is recognized that no arbitrator's decision will be considered or called "binding" on the legislature (because it isn't).
Related story from my state that inspired the thread: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anc...trators-decision-and-proposed-union-contract/