PUBLIC Law, Chapter 135, An Act To Improve Labor Laws for Maine Workers

An Act To Improve Labor Laws for Maine Workers

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §967, as amended by PL 1991, c. 622, Pt. O, §7, is further amended to read:

§ 967. Determination of bargaining agent

1. Voluntary recognition. Any public employee organization may file a request with a public employer alleging that a majority of the public employees in an appropriate bargaining unit wish to be represented for the purpose of collective bargaining between the public employer and the employees' organization. Such request shall must describe the grouping of jobs or positions which that constitute the unit claimed to be appropriate and shall must include a demonstration of majority support. Such request for recognition shall may be granted by the public employer , unless the public employer desires that an election determine whether the organization represents a majority of the members in the bargaining unit.

1-A. Majority sign-up. If a request by a public employee organization for recognition pursuant to subsection 1 is not granted by the public employer, the executive director of the board or a designee shall examine the demonstration of support. If the executive director of the board or a designee finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining have signed valid authorizations designating the employees' organization specified in the petition as their bargaining representative and that no other individual or labor organization is currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit, the board may not direct an election but shall certify the employees' organization as the representative. However, if the majority status of the employees in the appropriate unit is in question, the executive director of the board or a designee shall call an election to determine whether the organization represents a majority of the members in the bargaining unit.

2. Elections. The executive director of the board, or a designee, upon signed request of a public employer alleging that one or more public employees or public employee organizations have presented to it a claim to be recognized as the representative of a bargaining unit of public employees pursuant to subsection 1-A, or upon signed petition of at least 30% of a bargaining unit of public employees that they desire to be represented by an organization, shall conduct a secret ballot election to determine whether the organization represents a majority of the members in the bargaining unit. Such an election may be conducted at suitable work locations or through the United States mail, and the procedures adopted and employed must ensure that neither the employee organizations or the management representatives involved in the election have access to information that would identify a voter.

The ballot shall must contain the name of such organization and that of any other organization showing written proof of at least 10% representation of the public employees within the unit, together with a choice for any public employee to designate that he the public employee does not desire to be represented by any bargaining agent. Where When more than one organization is on the ballot and no one of the 3 or more choices receives a majority vote of the public employees voting, a run-off election shall must be held. The run-off ballot shall must contain the 2 choices which that received the largest and second-largest 2nd-largest number of votes. When an organization receives the majority of votes of those voting, the executive director of the board shall certify it as the bargaining agent. The bargaining agent certified as representing a bargaining unit shall must be recognized by the public employer as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all of the employees in the bargaining unit unless and until a decertification election by secret ballot shall be is held and the bargaining agent declared by the executive director of the board as not representing a majority of the unit.

Whenever 30% of the employees in a certified bargaining unit petition for a bargaining agent to be decertified, the procedures for conducting an election on the question shall be are the same as for representation as bargaining agent hereinbefore set forth as established in this section.

No A question concerning representation may not be raised within one year of a certification or attempted certification. Where there is a valid collective bargaining agreement in effect, no a question concerning unit or representation may not be raised except during the period not more than 90 nor less than 60 days prior to the expiration date of the agreement. The not more than 90-day nor less than 60-day period prior to the expiration date of an agreement regarding unit determination and representation shall does not apply to matters of unit clarification.

The bargaining agent certified by the executive director of the board as the exclusive bargaining agent shall be required to represent all the public employees within the unit without regard to membership in the organization certified as bargaining agent, provided except that any public employee at any time may present his that public employee's grievance to the public employer and have such grievance adjusted without the intervention of the bargaining agent, if the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of a collective bargaining agreement then in effect and if the bargaining agent's representative has been given reasonable opportunity to be present at any meeting of the parties called for the resolution of such grievance.

Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 129th Legislature, First Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.

HP0562 LD 757	PUBLIC Law, Chapter 135 on - Session - 129th Maine Legislature
	Bill Tracking, Additional Documents	Chamber Status

Bill Tracking		Chamber Status
Amendments	Testimony, Public Hearings & Work Sessions		Committee Information for this Bill
Other Documents			Title & Section

Search Bill Text		Search Bill Status
Bill Directory	Current Committees		Legislative Information
Download MS-Word, Printed PDF		Maine Legislature

Office of Legislative Information 100 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333		voice: (207) 287-1692 fax: (207) 287-1580 tty: (207) 287-6826
Word Viewer for Windows		Disclaimer