Texas Local Government Code 174.153 – Request for Arbitration; Agreement to Arbitrate
(a) Except as provided by § 174.1535, a public employer or an association that is a bargaining agent may request the appointment of an arbitration board if:
(1) the parties:
(A) reach an impasse in collective bargaining; or
(B) are unable to settle after the appropriate lawmaking body fails to approve a contract reached through collective bargaining;
(2) the parties made every reasonable effort, including mediation, to settle the dispute through good-faith collective bargaining; and
(3) the public employer or association gives written notice to the other party, specifying the issue in dispute.
(b) A request for arbitration must be made not later than the fifth day after:
(1) the date an impasse was reached under § 174.152; or
(2) the expiration of an extension period under § 174.152.
Terms Used In Texas Local Government Code 174.153
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) An election by both parties to arbitrate must:
(1) be made not later than the fifth day after the date arbitration is requested; and
(2) be a written agreement to arbitrate.
(d) A party may not request arbitration more than once in a fiscal year.