Hearing on Collective Bargaining for First Responders

"Firefighters and police officers are very serious about their commitment to public safety. They deserve the right, the basic right, Mr. Chairman, to sit down with their employers and discuss their work conditions. The reasonableness of this legislation is demonstrated by the wide bipartisan support it has from its 235 cosponsors."

"A second category of special Americans I believe are those who serve in the public safety professions. Those who respond to the call when we think we see a burglar in the backyard, those who answer the call of the fire siren and respond whether it's the home of someone they know, respect, like or dislike. Those who serve in the ambulance and deal with the Golden Hour when someone's life is either saved or lost, depending on the promptness and reliability of the people doing the work. I find it ironic that the glaring exception that exists to the assumed right to organize affects these individuals."