SENATE BILL No. 165

 

 

February 6, 2007, Introduced by Senators SWITALSKI, JACOBS and SCHAUER and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1969 PA 312, entitled

 

"An act to provide for compulsory arbitration of labor disputes in

municipal police and fire departments; to define such public

departments; to provide for the selection of members of arbitration

panels; to prescribe the procedures and authority thereof; and to

provide for the enforcement and review of awards thereof,"

 

by amending the title and sections 1 and 3 (MCL 423.231 and

 

423.233) and by adding section 1a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

                                TITLE

 

     An act to provide for compulsory arbitration of labor disputes

 

in municipal police and fire departments and between county

 

corrections officers and their employers; to define such those

 

public departments and corrections facilities; to provide for the

 

selection of members of arbitration panels; to prescribe the


 

procedures and authority thereof; and of arbitration panels; to

 

provide for the enforcement and review of awards thereof of

 

arbitration panels; and to prescribe certain powers and duties of

 

certain state and local officials.

 

     Sec. 1. It is the public policy of this state that in public

 

police and fire departments and in county corrections facilities,

 

where the right of employees to strike is by law prohibited, it is

 

requisite to the high morale of such the employees and the

 

efficient operation of such those departments and facilities to

 

afford an alternate, expeditious, effective, and binding procedure

 

for the resolution of disputes, and to that end the provisions of

 

this act, providing for compulsory arbitration, shall be liberally

 

construed.

 

     Sec. 1a. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "County corrections facility" means any county jail or

 

other site used to house or detain individuals in the custody of a

 

county sheriff.

 

     (b) "County corrections officer" means an individual employed

 

by or under the supervision of a county sheriff while engaged in

 

the management or control of individuals in the custody of that

 

county sheriff.

 

     (c) "Employment relations commission" means the commission

 

created in section 3 of 1939 PA 176, MCL 423.3.

 

     Sec. 3. Whenever If in the course of mediation of a public

 

police or fire department employee's or county corrections

 

officer's dispute, except a dispute concerning the interpretation

 

or application of an existing agreement (a "grievance" dispute),


 

the dispute has not been resolved to the agreement of both parties

 

within 30 days of the submission of the dispute to mediation, or

 

within such further any additional periods to which the parties may

 

agree, the employees or employer may initiate binding arbitration

 

proceedings by prompt request, therefor, in writing, to the other,

 

with copy to the employment relations commission.