Title 28, Title 28 and Labor Relations

This chapter may be cited as the “Municipal Police Arbitration Act.”

The arbitrators shall conduct the hearings and render their decision on the basis of a prompt, peaceful, and just settlement of wage or hour disputes between the police officers and the city or town by which they are employed. The factors, among others, to be given weight by the …

Fees and necessary expenses of arbitration shall be borne equally by the bargaining agent and the corporate authorities. Notwithstanding any other remedies that an arbitrator may have, the arbitrator or a party who or that has paid its share of the fees and necessary expenses of …

Any agreements actually negotiated between the bargaining agent and the corporate authorities either before or within thirty (30) days after arbitration shall constitute the collective bargaining contract governing police and the city or town for the period stated in the contract…

Whenever wages, rates of pay, or any other matter requiring appropriation of money by any city or town are included as matter of collective bargaining conducted under the provisions of this chapter, it is the obligation of the bargaining agent to serve written notice of request f…

If any provision of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstances, is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the remaining provisions of this chapter and the application of the provisions to other persons or circumstances, other than those to which it is he…

The sole avenue of review of a decision of an arbitration panel issued pursuant to this chapter shall be by petition for writ of certiorari to the supreme court. If a decision of the arbitration panel is sought to be reviewed by writ of certiorari to the supreme court, the matter…

If either the bargaining agent or the corporate authorities files a petition for writ of certiorari to the supreme court of the state of Rhode Island for a review or modification of a majority decision of the arbitrators, which by the provisions of § 28-9.2-9 is binding upon both…

All contractual provisions contained in a collective bargaining agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall continue in the following collective bargaining agreement unless either the bargaining agent or the corporate authority shall, in writing, withi…

(a) The exclusive representative shall have the right to act for and negotiate agreements covering all employees in the bargaining unit. Nothing in the provision shall require the exclusive representative to provide representation at any level of the grievance process, including …

(a) The protection of the public health, safety, and welfare demands that full-time police officers of any paid police department in any city or town not be accorded the right to strike or engage in any work stoppage or slowdown. This necessary prohibition does not require the de…

As used in this chapter the following terms, unless the context requires a different interpretation, have the following meanings: (1) “Corporate authorities” means the proper officials within any city or town whose duty or duties it is to establish the wages, salaries, rates of p…

The police officers in any city or town have the right to bargain collectively with their respective cities or towns and be represented by an organization in the collective bargaining as to wages, rates of pay, hours, working conditions, and all other terms and conditions of empl…

The organization selected by the majority of the police officers in any city or town shall be recognized by the city or town as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all of the police officers of the city or town police department unless and until recognition of the organiz…

It shall be the obligation of the city or town, acting through its corporate authorities, to meet and confer in good faith with the designated representative or representatives of the bargaining agent, including any legal counsel selected by the bargaining agent, within ten (10) …

In the event that the bargaining agent and the corporate authorities are unable, within thirty (30) days from and including the date of their first meeting, to reach an agreement on a contract, any and all unresolved issues shall be submitted to arbitration; provided, the parties…

Within five (5) days from the expiration of the thirty-day (30) period referred to in § 28-9.2-7, the bargaining agent and the corporate authorities shall each select and name one arbitrator and shall immediately thereafter notify each other in writing of the name and address of …

(a) The arbitration board shall, acting through its chairperson, call a hearing to be held within ten (10) days after the date of the appointment of the chairperson, and shall, acting through its chairperson, give at least seven (7) days’ notice in writing to each of the other tw…

(a) In pursuance of the duty imposed upon it by the constitution to promote public schools and to adopt all means necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education, the general assembly declares that it recognizes teaching as a profession …

(a) Within seven (7) days after arbitration has been requested as provided in § 28-9.3-9, the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee shall each select and name one arbitrator and shall immediately notify each other in writing of the name and address of the perso…

(a) The arbitrators shall call a hearing to be held within ten (10) days after their appointment and shall give at least seven (7) days’ notice in writing to the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee of the time and place of the hearing. The hearing shall be in…

While the parties are engaged in negotiations and/or utilizing the dispute resolution process as required in § 28-9.3-9, all terms and conditions in the collective bargaining agreement shall remain in effect. The decision of the arbitrators shall be made public and shall be bindi…

Fees and necessary expenses of arbitration shall be borne equally by the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee.

Whenever the word “arbitrators” is used in this chapter it also means arbitrator where applicable.

If any provision of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstances, is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the remaining provisions of this chapter and the application of the provisions to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held inva…

This chapter may be cited as the “School Teachers’ Arbitration Act.”

(a) The certified teachers in the public school system in any city, town, or regional school district have the right to negotiate professionally and to bargain collectively with their respective school committees and to be represented by an association or labor organization in th…

The association or labor organization selected by the certified public school teachers in the public school system in any city, town, or regional school district shall be recognized by the school committee of the city, town, or district as the sole and exclusive negotiating or ba…

It shall be the obligation of the school committee to meet and confer in good faith with the representative or representatives of the negotiating or bargaining agent within ten (10) days after receipt of written notice from the agent of the request for a meeting for negotiating o…

(a) The state labor relations board, upon the written petition for an election signed by not less than twenty percent (20%) of the certified public school teachers of the city, town, or regional school district, indicating their desire to be represented by a particular associatio…

The state labor relations board shall prescribe the method of petitioning for an election, the manner, place, and time of conducting the election, and shall supervise all elections to insure against interference, restraint, discrimination, or coercion from any source. Complaints …

(a) No association or organization shall be initially certified as the representative of certified public school teachers except after an election. (b) Teachers shall be free to join or to decline to join any association or organization regardless of whether it has been certified…

Whenever salary or other matters requiring appropriation of money by any city, town, or regional school district are to be included as a matter of negotiation or collective bargaining conducted under the provisions of this chapter, the negotiating or bargaining agent must first s…

(a) In the event that the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee are unable, within thirty (30) days from and including the date of their first meeting, to reach an agreement on a contract, either of them may request mediation and conciliation upon any and all u…

It is declared to be the public policy of this state to accord to municipal employees the right to organize, to be represented, to negotiate, and to bargain on a collective basis with municipal employers, covering hours, salary, working conditions and other terms of employment; p…

(a) In the event that the negotiating or bargaining agent and the municipal employer are unable after thirty (30) days from and including the date of their first meeting to reach an agreement on a contract, either of them may request mediation and conciliation upon any and all un…

(a) Within seven (7) days after arbitration has been requested as provided in § 28-9.4-10, the negotiating agent and the municipal employer shall each select and name one arbitrator and shall immediately thereafter notify each other, in writing, of the name and address of the per…

(a) The arbitrators shall call a hearing to be held within ten (10) days after their appointment and shall give at least seven (7) days’ notice, in writing, to the negotiating or bargaining agent and the municipal employer of the time and place of the hearing. (b) The hearing sha…

(a) While the parties are engaged in negotiations and/or utilizing the dispute resolution process as required in § 28-9.4-10, all terms and conditions in the collective bargaining agreement shall remain in effect. The decision of the arbitrators shall be made public and shall be …

Fees and necessary expenses of arbitration shall be borne equally by the negotiating or bargaining agent and the municipal employer.

Whenever the word arbitrators is used in this chapter it also means arbitrator where applicable.

Municipal employees covered by the provisions of this chapter shall not have the right to engage in any strike, work stoppage, or slowdown strike; and any strike, work stoppage, or slowdown strike shall be illegal.

The services of the state director of labor and training and his or her conciliators shall be available to municipal employers and employee organizations for purposes of conciliation of grievances or contract disputes; provided, that nothing in this section prevents the use of th…

If any provision of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstances, is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the remaining provisions of this chapter and the application of the provisions to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held inva…

This chapter may be cited as the “Municipal Employees Arbitration Act.”

(a) “Employee organizations” means any lawful association, labor organization, federation, or council having as a primary purpose the improvement of wages, hours, and other conditions of employment among employees of municipal employers. (b) “Municipal employee” means any employe…