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Bill would extend interest-arbitration rights to all corrections officers
Summary
Senate Bill 5972 would remove a population threshold and make all county and city correctional officers eligible for interest arbitration; union witnesses testified in strong support citing equity, safety and bargaining parity.
The committee heard Senate Bill 5972, which would remove the statutory population threshold that currently limits which corrections officers qualify for binding interest arbitration during collective bargaining.
Jared Sachs, committee staff, explained that under current law certain uniform personnel are eligible for interest arbitration when negotiations reach an impasse, but a population test (counties with 70,000 or more residents) has excluded corrections officers in smaller jurisdictions. Sponsor Sen. Stanford said the change would promote consistency across law enforcement and correctional roles and ensure training and safety equipment access regardless of employer size.
Labor witnesses from Teamsters Local 760 and AFSCME Council 2 testified in support. David Simmons (Teamsters Local 760) urged passage to address bargaining inequities that create unsafe conditions in corrections. Carl Keller (Teamsters Local 760) said municipal corrections officers in the same neighborhood as county jails can earn 20–25% less because of the threshold. Michael Rainey of AFSCME Council 2 argued interest arbitration is an appropriate, impartial dispute-resolution tool for public-safety roles.
The committee heard testimony and did not record a committee vote that day.
