As immediate Past President of the League, this will be my last article in THE MUNICIPAL REVIEW. My intention over the last year has been to communicate my thoughts on issues concerning municipalities through this column to you. The constant theme throughout the year has been the need for you to communicate with our legislators, both at state and federal levels.

To those of you who have contacted your legislators, thank you. That communication is one of your most important responsibilities in truly representing your constituents. If you have not yet opened lines of communication to your legislators, there is no better time than now to begin.

The fall veto session has been disastrous for municipalities. Among the most important pieces of legislation that we worked on this year was police/fire collective bargaining. While the League took an historic position in support of such legislation, what ultimately passed was something we strenuously opposed. At issue here was (1) the definition of "supervisor" for firefighters and (2) the fact that "manning" was not excluded from arbitration.

The "manning" issue is a major item, as I know of no contract in Illinois other than for Chicago, that allows "manning" to be subject to an arbitrator's ruling. H.B. 1529, which contained the arbitration clause passed the House by a 91-26 vote and the Senate by a 44-14 vote.

While we lost this battle, the war is not over. Now is the time to contact Governor Thompson to urge his amendatory veto of this legislation. Without those two devastating provisions, the legislation represents a fair settlement for both labor and management. Whatever the final form of this legislation, Speaker Madigan should be thanked for his efforts in that as a result of his direct involvement in the negotiations, volunteer firefighters were excluded and the threshold number of employees necessary for inclusion under collective bargaining legislation was raised from 25 to 35.

H.B. 1529 serves as an example of why we need to communicate with our legislators, and to speak collectively with one voice in Springfield.

This past year has been both an educational and enjoyable experience. I have made many new friends, and have been honored to serve as President of the League. Our entire staff in Springfield is exceptionally dedicated and work very hard on your behalf. I thank them for their tireless assistance and you for allowing me to serve as President. I hope that Mayor Jim Ryan enjoys the experience as much as I, and more importantly, that we all continue to communicate in an effort to improve the legislative process.

November 1985 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5