Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §12004-B, sub-§10 is enacted to read:

10. Forest $75 per day 26 MRSA

Forestry Products §1354

Labor Bargaining

Board

Sec. 2. 26 MRSA c. 18 is enacted to read:

CHAPTER 18

FOREST PRODUCTS HARVESTERS AND HAULERS

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT

§1351.__Legislative findings

The harvesting and hauling of forest products is performed by numerous individual loggers and truckers who, despite being labeled "independent contractors" are, effectively, employees of forest landowners.__The compensation and bargaining position of those individuals are adversely affected unless they are able to join together voluntarily in cooperative associations as authorized by law.

Furthermore, membership in such an association is meaningful only if a landowner contracting for harvesting and hauling of forest products is required to bargain in good faith with the association as the representative of its members.

This chapter provides standards for the qualification of forest products harvesting and hauling cooperative associations for bargaining purposes, defines the mutual obligation of forest landowners and cooperative associations to bargain with respect to the harvesting and hauling of forest products and provides for the enforcement of such an obligation.

§1352. Short title

This chapter is known and may be cited as "the Forest Products Harvesters and Haulers Collective Bargaining Act."

§1353.__Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1.__Board.__"Board" means the Forest Products Bargaining Board created in this chapter.