HOUSE BILL No. 5925

 

 

September 21, 2016, Introduced by Rep. Lucido and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1947 PA 336, entitled

 

"An act to prohibit strikes by certain public employees; to provide

review from disciplinary action with respect thereto; to provide

for the mediation of grievances and the holding of elections; to

declare and protect the rights and privileges of public employees;

to require certain provisions in collective bargaining agreements;

to prescribe means of enforcement and penalties for the violation

of the provisions of this act; and to make appropriations,"

 

by amending section 15b (MCL 423.215b), as amended by 2014 PA 322.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 15b. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section,

 

after the expiration date of a collective bargaining agreement and

 

until a successor collective bargaining agreement is in place, a

 

public employer shall pay and provide wages and benefits at levels

 

and amounts that are no greater than those in effect on the

 

expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement. The

 

prohibition in this subsection includes increases that would result

 


from wage step increases. Employees who receive health, dental,

 

vision, prescription, or other insurance benefits under a

 

collective bargaining agreement shall bear any increased costs of

 

maintaining those benefits that occur after the expiration date.

 

The public employer may make payroll deductions necessary to pay

 

the increased costs of maintaining those benefits.

 

     (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) or (4), the parties

 

to a collective bargaining agreement shall not agree to, and an

 

arbitration panel shall not order, any retroactive wage or benefit

 

levels or amounts that are greater than those in effect on the

 

expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement.

 

     (3) For a collective bargaining agreement that expired before

 

June 8, 2011, the requirements of this section apply applies to

 

limit wages and benefits to the levels and amounts in effect on

 

June 8, 2011.

 

     (4) All of the following apply to a public employee eligible

 

to submit labor disputes to compulsory arbitration under 1969 PA

 

312, MCL 423.231 to 423.247:

 

     (a) Subsection (1) does not prohibit wage or benefit

 

increases, including step increases, expressly authorized under the

 

expired collective bargaining agreement.

 

     (b) The increase in employee costs for maintaining health,

 

dental, vision, prescription, or other insurance benefits after the

 

collective bargaining contract expiration date that the employee is

 

required to bear under subsection (1) shall not cause the total

 

employee costs for those benefits to exceed the amount of the

 

employee's share under the publicly funded health insurance


contribution act, 2011 PA 152, MCL 15.561 to 15.269. 15.569. If the

 

public employer is exempt from the limitations of that act, the

 

total employee costs for those benefits shall not exceed the higher

 

of the minimum required employee share under section 3 or 4 of the

 

publicly funded health insurance contribution act, 2011 PA 152, MCL

 

15.563 and 15.264, 15.564, calculated as if the public employer

 

were subject to that act.

 

     (c) Subsection (2) does not prohibit retroactive application

 

of a wage or benefit increase if the increase is awarded in the

 

decision of the arbitration panel under 1969 PA 312, MCL 423.231 to

 

423.247, or included in a negotiated bargaining agreement.

 

     (5) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Expiration date" means the expiration date set forth in a

 

collective bargaining agreement without regard to any agreement of

 

the parties to extend or honor the collective bargaining agreement

 

during pending negotiations for a successor collective bargaining

 

agreement.

 

     (b) "Increased costs" in regard to insurance benefits means

 

the difference in premiums or illustrated rates between the prior

 

year and the current coverage year. The difference shall be

 

calculated based on changes in costs by category of coverage and

 

not on changes in individual employee marital or dependent status.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect March 1,

 

2017.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5924 (request no.

 

06514'16) of the 98th Legislature is enacted into law.