| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §979, as amended by PL 1997, c. 741, §1 and | affected by §12, is further amended to read: |
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| | It is declared to be the public policy of this State and it is | the purpose of this chapter to promote the improvement of the | relationship between the State and its employees and between the | Legislature and its employees by providing a uniform basis for | recognizing the right of state or legislative employees to join | labor organizations of their own choosing and to be represented | by such organizations in collective bargaining for terms and | conditions of employment. |
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| | It is further declared to be the public policy of this State | and it is the purpose of this chapter to promote the improvement | of the relationship between the Legislature and its employees by | providing a uniform basis for recognizing the right of | legislative employees to join or form independent labor | organizations of their own choosing and to be represented by | those independent labor organizations in collective bargaining | for terms and conditions of employment. |
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| | Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §979-A, sub-§4-B is enacted to read: |
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| | 4-B.__Independent labor organization.__"Independent labor | organization" means a labor organization that does not represent | employees outside of the Legislature and is not affiliated with a | labor organization that represents employees outside of the | Legislature. |
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| | Sec. 3. 26 MRSA §979-B, as amended by PL 1997, c. 741, §4 and | affected by §12, is repealed and the following enacted in its | place: |
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| §979-B.__Right of state employees or legislative employees to |
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| join or form labor organizations |
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| | 1.__Right of state employees.__A person may not directly or | indirectly interfere with, intimidate, restrain, coerce or | discriminate against state employees or a group of state | employees in the free exercise of their rights, hereby given, | voluntarily to join, form and participate in the activities of | organizations of their own choosing for the purposes of | representation and collective bargaining, or in the free exercise | of any other right under this chapter. |
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