Minnesota Statutes 179A.12 – Exclusive Representation; Elections; Decertification
Subdivision 1.Certification continued.
Any employee organization holding formal recognition by order of the commissioner or by employer voluntary recognition on the effective date of Extra Session Laws 1971, chapter 33, under any law that is repealed by Extra Session Laws 1971, chapter 33, is certified as the exclusive representative until it is decertified or another representative is certified in its place.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 179A.12
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Majority: means with respect to an individual the period of time after the individual reaches the age of 18. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
Any teacher organization as defined by Minnesota Statutes 1969, section 125.20, subdivision 3, which on the effective date of Extra Session Laws 1971, chapter 33, has a majority of its members on a teacher’s council in a school district as provided in Minnesota Statutes 1969, section 125.22 is certified as the exclusive representative of all teachers of that school district until the organization is decertified or another organization is certified in its place.
Subd. 2.
MS 2022 [Repealed, 2023 c 53 art 11 s 59]
Subd. 2a.Majority verification procedure.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an employee organization may file a petition with the commissioner requesting certification as the exclusive representative of an appropriate unit based on a verification that over 50 percent of the employees in the proposed appropriate unit wish to be represented by the petitioner. The commissioner shall require dated representation authorization signatures of affected employees as verification of the employee organization’s claim of majority status.
(b) Upon receipt of an employee organization’s petition, accompanied by employee authorization signatures under this subdivision, the commissioner shall investigate the petition. If the commissioner determines that over 50 percent of the employees in an appropriate unit have provided authorization signatures designating the employee organization specified in the petition as their exclusive representative, the commissioner shall not order an election but shall certify the employee organization.
Subd. 3.Obtaining elections.
Any employee organization may obtain a certification election upon petition to the commissioner stating that at least 30 percent of the employees of a proposed appropriate unit wish to be represented by the petitioner. Any employee organization may obtain a representation election upon petition to the commissioner stating that the currently certified representative no longer represents the majority of employees in an established unit and that at least 30 percent of the employees in the established unit wish to be represented by the petitioner rather than by the currently certified representative. An individual employee or group of employees in a unit may obtain a decertification election upon petition to the commissioner stating the certified representative no longer represents the majority of the employees in an established unit and that at least 30 percent of the employees wish to be unrepresented.
Subd. 4.State unit elections.
The commissioner shall not consider a petition for a decertification election during the term of a contract covering employees of the executive or judicial branches of the state of Minnesota except for a period from not more than 270 to not less than 210 days before its date of termination.
Subd. 5.Commissioner to investigate.
The commissioner shall, upon receipt of an employee organization’s petition to the commissioner under subdivision 3, investigate to determine if sufficient evidence of a question of representation exists and hold hearings necessary to determine the appropriate unit and other matters necessary to determine the representation rights of the affected employees and employer.
Subd. 6.Authorization signatures.
In determining the numerical status of an employee organization for purposes of this section, the commissioner shall require dated representation authorization signatures of affected employees as verification of the statements contained in the joint request or petitions. These authorization signatures shall be privileged and confidential information available to the commissioner only. Electronic signatures, as defined in section 325L.02, paragraph (h), shall be valid as authorization signatures. Authorization signatures shall be valid for a period of one year following the date of signature.
Subd. 7.Election order.
The commissioner shall issue an order providing for a secret ballot election by the employees in a designated appropriate unit. The election must be held on one or more sites where those voting are employed or by a mail ballot, as determined by the commissioner. In making this determination, the commissioner shall strive for an election process that provides for maximum participation by the affected employees. The parties affected by this determination may request reconsideration of it by the commissioner under bureau rules.
Subd. 8.Ballot.
The ballot in a certification election may contain as many names of representative candidates as have demonstrated that 30 percent of the employees in the unit desire them as their exclusive representative. The ballots shall contain a space for employees to indicate that no representation is desired. The commissioner shall provide and count absentee ballots in all elections.
Subd. 9.Runoff election.
If no choice on the ballot receives a majority of those votes cast in the unit, the commissioner shall conduct a runoff election between the two choices receiving the most votes.
Subd. 10.Certification.
Upon a representative candidate receiving a majority of those votes cast in an appropriate unit, the commissioner shall certify that candidate as the exclusive representative of all employees in the unit.
Subd. 11.Unfair labor practices.
If the commissioner finds that an unfair labor practice was committed by an employer or representative candidate or an employee or group of employees, and that the unfair labor practice affected the result of an election or majority verification procedure pursuant to subdivision 2a, or that procedural or other irregularities in the conduct of the election or majority verification procedure may have substantially affected its results, the commissioner may void the result and order a new election or majority verification procedure.
Subd. 12.Bar to reconsideration.
When the commissioner certifies an exclusive representative, the commissioner shall not consider the question again for a period of one year, unless the exclusive representative is decertified by a court of competent jurisdiction, or by the commissioner.