The Bucks County Association of Township Officials (BCATO) is requesting support for the its Act 111 resolution passed at the 2015 Pennsylvania State Association of Township Officials (PSATS) conference.

The resolution seeks legislation to create a bi-partisan oversight committee that would review arbitration awards in collective bargaining arbitrations to consider its appropriateness, especially in the context of the ability of a municipal body’s ability to pay such awards.

Act 111 stipulates that “The Board of arbitration shall be composed of three persons, one appointed by the public employer, one appointed by the body of policemen or firemen involved, and a third member to be agreed upon by the public employer and such policemen or firemen.” In most cases, the third member is then selected through process from a list of three members furnished by the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

According to the AAA’s website, one of the qualifications for a position of arbitrator includes the “[t]horough and impartial evaluation of testimony and other evidence.” However, I believe neutral arbitrators are currently unsuccessful in fulfilling this stated qualification and thus need a bi-partisan oversight committee to ensure binding awards reflect a municipal body’s ability to fund said awards.