H.R. 1505: Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act

H.R. 1505 tells the Federal Labor Relations Authority to review every state and decide whether it already provides a core set of bargaining rights for public safety workers. That review has to happen within 180 days of enactment.

The baseline is broad but specific. States would need to allow public safety workers to form and join a union, require employers to recognize a union chosen by a majority, bargain in good faith over wages, hours, and working conditions, use binding arbitration when talks break down, and let those rights be enforced in a state agency or court.

If a state falls short, the federal government would write rules within 1 year. Those rules would take effect on the later of 2 years after enactment or the end of the first regular state legislative session that begins after the federal determination, giving states some time to rewrite their own laws first.

The bill covers law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel, including people temporarily moved into supervisory or management roles. Permanent supervisors, managers, and confidential employees are generally excluded.

This is not a total federal takeover. H.R. 1505 says states can keep right-to-work laws, can exempt some small jurisdictions, and do not have to require bargaining over pensions, retirement, or health benefits. It also bars lockouts, sickouts, strikes, and similar actions when they measurably disrupt emergency services, while saying state strike laws are not preempted.