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6/29/2011 To: Governor Chafee, Speaker Fox, President Paiva-Weed I am writing today to express my opposition to expanding the reach of binding arbitration in Rhode Island. The bottom line is that I vote for local elected officials to represent my interests in all things local – including negotiating local labor contracts. Any expansion to binding arbitration lessens the ability of local elected officials to effectively represent the interests of local tax payers. In this time of great economic uncertainty, I am unwilling to cede local control over salaries and benefits to an unelected arbitrator. Expanding binding arbitration will remove a key tool that town and city administrators need to balance their budgets – the ability to negotiate, in good faith, wages and benefits with labor. We are in the depths of a massive financial crisis. There could not be a worse time to consider this legislation. With respect, |