39-31-202. Board to determine appropriate bargaining unit -- factors to be considered. - Montana Statutes

     39-31-202. Board to determine appropriate bargaining unit -- factors to be considered. (1) In order to ensure employees the fullest freedom in exercising the rights guaranteed by this chapter, the board or an agent of the board shall decide the unit appropriate for the purpose of collective bargaining and shall consider such factors as community of interest, wages, hours, fringe benefits, and other working conditions of the employees involved, the history of collective bargaining, common supervision, common personnel policies, extent of integration of work functions and interchange among employees affected, and the desires of the employees.
     (2) If a state agency or facility of a state agency is reorganized to the extent that the reorganization results in substantial changes to the factors listed in subsection (1), the public employer representative, as provided in 39-31-301, may petition the board to make a new determination of the appropriate unit for the purpose of collective bargaining. In making this determination, the board shall take into account the consequences of the reorganization on each position in the affected agency or facility.
     (3) Unless the board has received a petition, as provided in 39-31-207, to consider a collective bargaining unit that was not designated as an appropriate unit prior to the reorganization described in subsection (2), the board may not consider any labor organization that was not designated to represent employees of the affected agency or facility at the time that the reorganization became effective.

     History: En. Sec. 6, Ch. 441, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 136, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 59-1606(2); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 176, L. 1999.