Union Power Grab Endangers Volunteer Firefighters

Volunteer fire departments would be endangered by a union-backed bill that has overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives and now is pending in the Senate (as S. 2123). It would force local governments to collectively bargain with police and fire unions, allowing them to demand bans on volunteer firefighters. It could also cost taxpayers a bundle in higher property taxes.

While the Administration has not said that it supports the bill, the bill could conceivably become law even over a presidential veto, since it passed the House by a 314-to-97 vote, which is more than the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto.