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With an election less than a month away, the Charlotte City Council discussed a politically sensitive subject Monday night – whether the city should enter into collective bargaining with firefighters and police officers.
North Carolina and16 other states forbid or restrict municipalities from using collective bargaining, but a bill in Congress would allow it for public safety workers in cities and towns with more than 5,000 people.
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, a Republican who is not running for reelection, asked his colleagues to support a resolution against the bill.
He said it would increase Charlotte's public safety budget and said “the federal government is trying to tell us how to run the city of Charlotte.”
The seven Democrats on the City Council voted to send the resolution to the council's governmental affairs committee, where it will be reviewed after the Nov. 3 election. They said they needed more time to review the issue.
Republican council member John Lassiter, who is running for mayor, said the Democrats were avoiding the issue. He is against collective bargaining.
“It's avoiding an honest and straightforward vote,” Lassiter said.
Democrat Michael Barnes, who has already won reelection, said that wasn't the case.
“I'm not into any political game,” Barnes said. “I'm saying it's a big issue. I want to get more information.”
Randy Hagler, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who is now with the Fraternal Order of Police, asked that council members not approve McCrory's resolution. He said police could get a better representation if they negotiated with a union, noting that Charlotte officers have been denied annual step pay increases by the city.
Hagler said he expects the bill to pass Congress, and that President Obama has said he will sign it.
John Foster, president of the Charlotte Fire Fighters Association, said collective bargaining has worked well across the country.
“More cities go by this than ones that don't,” Foster said. “If they are looking after their employees like they should, we won't need collective bargaining.”
