Union officials denounce the bill as an attack on organized labor
Baton Rouge -- Collective bargaining sessions between public employees and government entities would be open to the public under a bill headed to the House floor after committee approval Wednesday. While Rep. Tony Ligi, the author of House Bill 89, argued that the measure would protect taxpayers and allow greater scrutiny of labor contracts, union officials lined up to denounce the bill as an attack on organized labor and noted that the same committee had expanded confidentiality for economic development discussions between state and businesses earlier in the day.
Rep. Tony Ligi, R-Metairie"This is a taxpayer protection act in the context of the open meetings law," said Ligi, who referred to the bill as a way to close loopholes in the system.
Ligi, R-Metairie, first proposed opening contract negotiating sessions last year, after outgoing members of the Jefferson Parish School Board unsuccessfully pushed to ratify a contract before their terms ended in 2010. That bill never made it out of committee, but Wednesday members of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-2 to move it to the floor.
Representatives Jared Brossett, D-New Orleans, and Randal Gaines, D-LaPlace, voted against the measure. Rep. Michael Danahay, D-Sulphur, initially voted with them to defer the bill indefinitely, which would have essentially killed the measure, but then supported the motion to send it to the House.
Union and government representatives are now allowed to negotiate privately, but elected officials are required to vote on the contracts at a public meeting.
"This piece of legislation is blatantly attacking unions statewide," said Ed Parker with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who said that state contracts are already open to the public.
Urging the committee to approve the measure, Ligi pointed to the Jefferson Parish School Board's actions, which he said were done without any ability for the public to look at the proposed contract.
"Don't you think what happened in Jefferson Parish is a major loophole in the public meetings law?" Ligi asked.
Officials from a variety of unions spoke against the measure, arguing it is an effort to cripple unions, would create problems for the often complex contract negotiations, and would punish unions across the states because of complaints being levelled against one government body.
"I have three children," said Chad Major of the Professional Firefighters Association of Louisiana. "When one of them does something wrong, I don't beat all three. I don't punish all of them. I punish the one that did something wrong."
Business and media groups, including the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Press Association, filed cards with the committee indicating they supported the bill. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education policy adviser Bridget Devlin also spoke in favor of the measure as a way to ensure contracts are in line with the wishes of residents and parents.
"These contracts significantly effect local schools and should not happen behind closed doors," Devlin said.
Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, noted the bill was part of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council's list of policy recommendations and said it was intended to help corporate interests. He noted that when the committee discussed confidentiality requirements for economic development efforts earlier in the day, he "didn't hear any talk about loopholes."
Those bills, which are also now headed to the House floor, extend the time limit on existing provisions allowing some information submitted to the Department of Economic Development to be kept confidential and extends confidentiality to proprietary information or trade secrets. Both those measures were sent to the House without opposition.
Jeff Adelson can be reached at jadelson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5207.