Republican Rep. Brian C. Newberry thinks unions wield too much power in Rhode Island and worries the General Assembly, controlled by Democrats, will tip the scales even more in their favor.
The North Smithfield lawmaker and other critics see three labor-backed proposals before lawmakers this year as steps in that direction by undermining municipalities at the negotiating table and burdening them with increased firefighting costs. Rhode Island annually has among the highest firefighting costs in the nation.
Bill supporters, however, maintain that it’s only fair union employees, particularly teachers, be protected by guaranteed contracts, and for all firefighters to be paid overtime.
The bills seek elimination of an overtime exemption for firefighters and a guarantee of time-and-a-half pay after a workweek of more than 42 hours, and the automatic extension of contracts for municipal employees and teachers until a new agreement has been reached.
The proposals passed the House in April and the Senate on May 1. The bills now head back to the House for final approval of any changes made in the Senate, before landing on Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s desk.
In an April 24 House speech, Newberry referred to the automatic contract-continuation bill as “another little barnacle on a ship” that will lead to higher property tax rates and personnel costs.
“The problem is … every time we do something like this, we make it a little bit harder for the middle class,” he told lawmakers.
A bill proposing automatic contract renewal was vetoed by Raimondo in 2017, but Rep. Patricia A. Serpa, D-West Warwick, says the new version she sponsored allows school administrations to cut staff without consulting unions if student population drops.
“That’s one of the tools that will encourage the collective-bargaining unit to get back to the table,” Serpa said.
Still, by automatically continuing contracts, employees would stand to gain on retirement benefits and pension plans if unions refused to negotiate with municipalities during tough economic times, says Brian Daniels, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns.
“It’s going to be hard to [reach agreements] if a contract stretches out a year or two,” Daniels said.
Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton, sponsored the bills on firefighter overtime that conflict with a guideline from the U.S. Department of Labor barring firefighters from earning overtime until they work more than 53 hours in a week.
Most Rhode Island cities and towns already pay firefighters overtime and require a 42-48-hour week, Edwards says, but a handful still schedule firefighters for 56-hour weeks.
“If the cities and towns want to force [overtime on firefighters], there should be some kind of compensation,” he said.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
