The Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union (MPFFU) has put out false and misleading statements about the League’s position on Senate Bill 1167.

MPFFU states that the accepted amendments in Senate Bill 1167 address concerns raised by the League and is asking their members to “Tell them (legislators) that this bill has addressed the concerns that some legislators, the MML, and the Michigan Fire Chiefs expressed… so it should be easy to support it now.”

This is a blatant lie. The League continues to OPPOSE SB 1167. We urge all members to reach out to their state representatives and request they oppose this legislation.

Senate Bill 1167, despite amendments, remains a threat to local governments’ fiscal stability by failing to recognize the complexity local officials face trying to provide all governmental services to our residents.

Changes made would create a one-year look back if constitutional revenue sharing or property tax values fall to a level below the previous fiscal year and allow minimum staffing to be a permissible topic of bargaining for one year.

The League was not made aware of the amended language before it passed, was not consulted on it, and has not been asked our opinion since its passage. Here is our official position:

• Smart fiscal budgeting is not based off one-year occurrences but long-term trends.
• Contracts are typically multi-year agreements. To take a single look in the year you happen to be negotiating would be fiscally irresponsible. This lookback would be meaningless and in no way indicative of the staffing costs or other contractual costs.
• The fact that there was a simple dollar increase for a revenue stream does not give any indication of a community’s ability to pay for additional staffing. It is a gross oversimplification and fails to address inflationary trends, contractual raises, health care costs, or other community expenses.
• Local government officials need to balance all their community’s needs, including staffing for all services and not just police and fire. They all have service and safety implications that local officials have the best ability to understand and address. That power should not be moved into the hands of an arbitrator.

As the government closest to the people, municipal officials are the most accountable level of government. It is the primary responsibility of local officials to provide a safe workplace for all their employees, which they take very seriously.

The Michigan Municipal League and its membership—communities throughout Michigan—remain adamantly opposed to SB 1167. Again, please contact your state representative and urge their opposition.

Dave Hodgkins is a legislative associate with the League. He may be reached at [email protected]