Wyoming City Manager's Blog - Public Act 312
Recently, the state Legislature approved some changes to Public Act 312. Public Act 312 is the law that provides for binding arbitration should a city and any of their public safety unions fail to reach an agreement on an employment contract. Basically, what occurs is the city and union are forced to hire an arbitrator and each side provides a “case” to the arbitrator on why their offer is satisfactory. The arbitrator then decides which case he or she agrees with.
The example above is a very simplified version of the process. Historically, this law was enacted as an alternative to allowing a public safety union to strike. From a cities point of view, this law has been flawed for years and has driven up the cost of government. From a union’s point of view, the law has worked as intended by preventing employee strikes.