Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §595, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 558, §1, is amended to read:

§595. Deterrence of violence during a labor dispute

1. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds that:

A. The practice of receiving applicants for employment, conducting interviews of job applicants or performing medical examinations of job applicants at the worksite of an employer who is currently engaged in a labor dispute with his employees tends to incite violence by bringing individuals who may be considered as replacements for workers to the physical focus of the labor dispute and by encouraging a direct confrontation between these individuals and the prior employees; and

B. The presence of persons carrying dangerous weapons near sites where applications for positions with an employer involved in a labor dispute are being accepted or where interviews of those job applicants are being conducted or medical examinations of those applicants are being performed creates an unacceptable risk of violence; and

C. The public safety requires the regulation of these practices to reduce the likelihood of violence.

2. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to reduce the potential for violence during labor disputes by prohibiting certain provocative acts and imposing penalties for failure to obey this section.

3. Receiving job applicants at worksite prohibited. No employer may perform any of the following acts at any of that employer's plants, facilities, places of business or worksites where a labor dispute, strike or lockout involving the employees of that employer is in progress:

A. Receiving persons for the purpose of soliciting or receiving applications for employment with the employer;

B. Conducting or having conducted interviews of applicants for employment with the employer; or

C. Performing or having performed medical examinations of applicants for employment with the employer.