COMP. ARBITRATION; CORRECT. OFFICERS H.B. 4438 (S-1) & 4439:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
House Bill 4438 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
House Bill 4439 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Kelly Breen (H.B. 4438)
Sponsor: Representative Robert J. Bezotte (H.B. 4439)
House Committee: Criminal Justice
CONTENT
House Bill 4438 (S-1) would amend Public Act 312 of 1969, which governs compulsory arbitration of labor disputes in police and fire departments, to add county corrections officers that met specified requirements and employees of higher education institutions that work as police officers or firefighters to the definition of "public police or fire department employee".
House Bill 4439 would amend Public Act 312 of 1969 to replace all references of the term "chairman" with "chair".
House Bill 4439 is tie-barred to House Bill 4438, which would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
MCL 423.235 & 423.237a (H.B. 4439)
BRIEF RATIONALE
Some people believe that corrections officers are treated unfairly in labor arbitration and specify that these officers should have the right to fair arbitration during a labor dispute. According to testimony, continued unfair labor arbitration could lead to a corrections officer strike, which would leave county jails unstaffed and necessitate unqualified police officers who work in other fields to work in those jails.
PREVIOUS LEGISLATION
(Please note: This section does not provide a comprehensive account of previous legislative efforts on this subject matter.)
House Bill 4438 is a reintroduction of House Bill 4725 from the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. House Bill 4725 passed the House and was reported by the Senate Committee on Economic and Small Business Development but received no further action. House Bill 4439 is a reintroduction of House Bill 4924 from the 2021-2022 Legislative Session.
Legislative Analyst: Alex Krabill
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills could reduce caseloads for courts by sending additional disputes to compulsory arbitration; however, the impact on courts is expected to be minimal.
Date Completed: 9-22-23 Fiscal Analysts: Michael Siracuse
Bobby Canell
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.