An Act To Fund the Agreement with Certain Judicial Department Employees

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  the Judicial Department has reached collective bargaining agreements with the 4 bargaining units representing Judicial Department employees; and

Whereas,  this legislation authorizes funding of the agreements effective at the beginning of the pay week commencing closest to September 1, 2015; and

Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Sec. 1. Adjustment of salary schedules for fiscal year 2015-16. Effective at the beginning of the pay week commencing closest to September 1, 2015, the salary schedules for the Judicial Department employees in the administrative services bargaining unit, the supervisory services bargaining unit, the law enforcement bargaining unit and the professional services bargaining unit and employees referred to in section 4 of this Act must be adjusted upward by 1%.

Sec. 2. Adjustment of salary schedules for fiscal year 2016-17. Effective at the beginning of the pay week commencing closest to July 1, 2016, the salary schedules for the Judicial Department employees in the administrative services bargaining unit, the supervisory services bargaining unit, the law enforcement bargaining unit and the professional services bargaining unit and employees referred to in section 4 of this Act must be adjusted upward by 1%.

Sec. 3. Addition of new step for fiscal year 2015-16. Effective at the beginning of the pay period commencing closest to April 1, 2016, the salary schedule for the employees of the Judicial Department in the administrative services bargaining unit, the supervisory bargaining unit, the law enforcement bargaining unit and the professional bargaining unit must be adjusted by eliminating the first step and adding a new top step so that employees are paid at the new rates to which they are assigned in the modified salary schedule, consistent with the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Sec. 4. Other employees; similar and equitable treatment. Employees of the Judicial Department who are excluded from collective bargaining pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 1282, subsection 5, paragraphs C, D, E, F and G must be given treatment similar and equitable on a pro rata basis to that given employees covered by the collective bargaining agreements.

Sec. 5. Costs to General Fund. Costs to the General Fund must be provided in the Salary Plan program, General Fund account in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services in the amount of $366,446 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016 and in the amount of $1,442,719 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 to implement the economic terms of the collective bargaining agreements made between the Judicial Department and the Maine State Employees Association for the administrative services bargaining unit, the supervisory services bargaining unit, the law enforcement bargaining unit and the professional services bargaining unit and for the costs of those Judicial Department employees referred to in section 4, who are excluded from collective bargaining pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 1282, subsection 5.

Sec. 6. Contingent effective date. This Act takes effect only upon ratification of the collective bargaining agreements made between the Judicial Department and the Maine State Employees Association for the administrative services bargaining unit, the supervisory services bargaining unit, the law enforcement bargaining unit and the professional services bargaining unit tentatively agreed to as of June 25, 2015.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.

summary

This bill authorizes funding of the collective bargaining agreements reached by the Judicial Department and the 4 bargaining units representing Judicial Department employees.