State senate bill could bring collective bargaining negotiations to the public eye
As the Connellsville Area School District officials have been going back and forth on its teachers contract and Ringgold teachers hit the picket lines earlier this month, a bill in the state Senate could finally let the public know about the negotiations behind closed doors.
Senate Bill 503 would remove the exemption of collective bargaining from the Sunshine Act, and Senate Bill 504 would add collective bargaining under the state’s Right to Know Law, meaning members of the public could attend the negotiation sessions.
“Anytime you can add transparency to the process of taxpayer money being spent, it’s always a benefit,” said State Sen. Patrick Stefano R-Bullskin Township, a co-sponsor of SB503.
Stefano compared the non-transparent nature of collective bargaining to a bill becoming a law and the public not knowing what’s in the bill until it’s passed into law.
“It’s the same thing,” Stefano said.
SB503 was proposed by state Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, who previously stated that legislators have a responsibility to ensure taxpayers have access to information that will allow them to have an open conversation with policy makers.
“Secrecy breeds distrust and creates a cloud of doubt regarding how taxpayer dollars are being allocated,” Aument said. “Opening this information up to the public is the best way to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and appropriately.”
“I would love to see it passed,” Stefano said. “But with this current administration, I don’t have positive feelings on its completion.”
Stefano sponsored a similar bill earlier this year, Senate Bill 168, that would require any proposed collective bargaining agreement be made available on the public employers’ publicly accessible internet website within 48 hours and an agreement must be posted online two weeks prior to and 30 days following the signing of the collective bargaining agreement.
The three bills are currently out of committee, but have not yet reached the Senate floor for a vote.