An Act To Amend the Law Allowing Legislative Staff To Unionize
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1486
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: McKANE, DAVIS, BOWLES, CLOUGH, JOY, MOULTON, TARDY, TRAHAN, VAUGHAN, WESTON
Amends: 26 MRSA §979, 26 MRSA §979-A, 26 MRSA §979-B

Legislative Document 
No. 1486 
H.P.1042 
House of Representatives, March 24, 2005 
An Act To Amend the Law Allowing Legislative Staff To Unionize 
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative McKANE of Newcastle. 
Cosponsored by Senator DAVIS of Piscataquis and 
11l~ 
111· 77!0£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BOWLES of Sanford, CLOUGH of Scarborough, JOY of Crystal, 
MOULTON of York, TARDY of Newport, TRAHAN of Waldoboro, VAUGHAN of Durham, 
Senator: WESTON of Waldo. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §979, as amended by PL 1997, c. 741, § 1 and 
affected by §12, is further amended to read: 
§979. Purpose 
It is declared to be the public policy of this State and it 
is the purpose of this chapter to promote the improvement of the 
relationship between the State and its employees 
aBe-ee~weeB-~Re 
bel3'i61,a1:~Fe--aOO--.i-1;&-emJ'l;!,eyees by providing a uniform basis for 
recognizing the right of state 
eF-..,l€~-i-6.,la£4",e employees to join 
labor organizations of their own choosing and to be represented 
by 
such organizations in collective bargaining for 
terms 
and 
conditions of employment. 
It is further declared to be the public policy of this State 
and it is the purpose of this chapter to promote the improvement 
of the relationship between the Legislature and its employees by 
providing 
a 
uniform 
basis 
for 
recognizing 
the 
right 
of. 
~gislative 
employees 
to 
join 
or 
form 
independent 
labor 
organizations of their own choosing and to be represented by 
those independent labor organizations in collective bargaining 
for terms and conditions of employment. 
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §979-A, sub-§4-B is enacted to read: 
4-B. 
IndepeP.J1ent 
la:t>~L.-...9~+g~ization. 
"I ndependen t _ 1 abo r: 
organization" means a labor organization that does not represent 
employees outside of the Legislature and is not affiliated with a 
labor 
organization that 
represents 
emplvyees 
outside 
of 
the 
Legislature. 
Sec. 3. 26 MRSA §979-B, as amended by PL 1997, c. 741, §4 and 
affected by §12, is repealed and the following enacted in its 
place: 
§979-B. 
Right of state employe~s or legislative employees to 
join or form labor organizations 
1. 
Right of state employees. 
A person may not directly or 
indirectly 
interfere 
with, 
intimidate, 
restrain, 
coerce 
or 
discriminate 
against 
state 
employees 
or 
a 
group 
of 
state 
employees in the free exercise of their rights, hereby given, 
voluntarily to 
Jo~n, form and participate in the activities of 
organizations 
of 
their 
own 
choosin9..----.tor 
the 
purposes 
of 
representation and collective bargaining, or in the free exercise 
of any other right under this chapter. 
Page l-LR0511(l) 
2. 
Right of legislative employees. 
A person 
may 
not 
directly or 
indirectly interfere 
with, 
intimidate, 
restrain, 
coerce or discriminate against legislative employees or a group 
of legislative employees in the free exercise of their rights, 
hereby given, voluntarily to join, form and participate in the 
activities 
of 
independent 
labor 
organizations 
of 
their 
own 
choosing 
for 
the 
purposes 
of 
representation 
and 
collective 
bargaining, or in the free exercise of any other right under this 
chapter. 
Sec. 4. Effect on existing contract. 
This Act has no effect on 
any contract existing on the effective date of this Act. 
The 
Executive Director of the Legislative Council may not enter into 
or renew any contract that provides collective bargaining rights 
to legislative employees represented by a union that is not an 
independent labor organization as defined in the Maine Revised 
Statutes, 
Title 
26, 
section 
979-A, 
subsection 
4-B 
after the 
effective date of this Act. 
SUMMARY 
This 
bill 
requires 
the 
collective 
bargaining 
agent 
of 
legislative employees to be an independent labor organization, 
which is a labor organization that neither represents employees 
outside 
of 
the 
Maine 
Legislature 
nor 
is affiliated with 
an 
organization 
that 
represents 
employees 
outside 
of 
the 
Maine 
Legislature.