ALG Praises Oklahoma Law Ending Municipal Collective Bargaining Mandate

February 24th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement praising committee passage of HR 1593 in Oklahoma that would bring an end to a state mandate that municipalities that have more than a 35,000 population must engage in collective bargaining with public employees:

“Rep. Steve Martin is taking a reasonable step, offering legislation that gives municipalities the option of whether or not they wish to engage in collective bargaining with public employees. There is no reason the state of Oklahoma or any government should be requiring as a matter of law that such arrangements take place. That should be up to the municipalities, not politicians in Oklahoma City.

“We praise the General Government Committee for moving the bill to the floor of the House by a vote of 9-7. Now the full body can determine whether they ought to be forcing municipalities into collective bargaining arrangements that have resulted in unsustainable public pension and health-care liabilities across the country. The time for action is now to rein in the excessive costs of government.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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