Sec. 7-478e. Mandatory binding arbitration for issues re observance of Martin Luther King Day. Panel of neutral arbitrators. Procedure. Criteria for decision. Apportionment of costs. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 7-478e. Mandatory binding arbitration for issues re observance of Martin Luther King Day. Panel of neutral arbitrators. Procedure. Criteria for decision. Apportionment of costs. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7-473c:

      (1) If the parties are unable to resolve the compensation or exchange of benefits issue pursuant to section 7-478d by June 30, 2000, the parties shall submit the issue to an arbitration panel for resolution through binding arbitration pursuant to this section not later than July 15, 2000.

      (2) If neither the municipal employer nor the municipal employee organization has submitted the issue to an arbitration panel for resolution through binding arbitration pursuant to this section by July 15, 2000, said board shall notify the municipal employer and municipal employee organization that binding and final arbitration is now imposed on them, and the arbitration panel selected pursuant to this section shall resolve the issue through binding arbitration not later than September 30, 2000. Written notification of such imposition shall be sent by registered mail or certified mail, return receipt requested, to each party.

      (3) Within two days of receipt of such notification, the chief executive officer of the municipal employer and the executive head of the municipal employee organization each shall select one member of the arbitration panel. Within two days of their appointment, the two members of the arbitration panel shall select a third member, who shall be an impartial representative of the interest of the public in general and who shall be selected from the panel of neutral arbitrators appointed pursuant to subsection (a) of section 7-473c. Such third member shall be the chairman of the panel. In the event the municipal employer or the municipal employee organization have not selected their respective members of the arbitration panel or the two members of the panel have not selected the third member, the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration shall appoint such members as are needed to complete the panel, provided (A) the member or members so appointed are residents of this state, and (B) the selection of the third member of the panel by the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration shall be made at random from among the members of the panel of neutral arbitrators appointed pursuant to subsection (a) of section 7-473c.

      (4) The panel shall, within two days, by the call of its chairman, hold a hearing within the municipality involved. The chairman of the panel shall preside over such hearing. Any member of the panel shall have the power to take testimony, to administer oaths and to summon, by subpoena, any person whose testimony may be pertinent to the matters before said panel, together with any records or other documents relating to such matters. In the case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, the Superior Court, upon application by the panel, shall have jurisdiction to order such person to appear before the panel to produce evidence or to give testimony touching the matter under investigation or in question, and any failure to obey such order may be punished by said court as a contempt thereof.

      (5) The panel shall conclude the hearing within fifteen days after its commencement. Within ten days after the hearing, the panel shall issue, upon majority vote, and file with the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration its decision which shall immediately and simultaneously distribute a copy thereof to each party. In making its decision, the panel shall accept the last best offer of either of the parties. As part of the arbitration decision, each member shall state the specific reasons and standards in making a choice on each unresolved issue. In arriving at its decision, the panel shall be limited to the consideration of the criteria set forth in subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of section 7-473c. The decision of the panel shall be final and binding upon the municipal employer and the municipal employee organization except as provided in section 7-478f and, if such award is not rejected by the legislative body pursuant to section 7-478f, except that a motion to vacate or modify such decision may be made in accordance with sections 52-418 and 52-419.

      (6) In regard to all proceedings undertaken pursuant to this section the secretary of the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration shall serve as staff to the arbitration panel.

      (7) The cost of the arbitration panel shall be distributed among the parties in the following manner: (A) The municipal employer shall pay the costs of the arbitrator appointed by it, (B) the municipal employee organization shall pay the costs of the arbitrator appointed by it, (C) the municipal employer and the municipal employee organization shall equally divide and pay the cost of the chairman, and (D) the costs of any arbitrator appointed by the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration shall be paid by the party in whose absence the board appointed.

      (P.A. 00-98, S. 4, 6.)

      History: P.A. 00-98 effective April 26, 2000.