An Act relative to collective bargaining right

This bill establishes a mandatory arbitration process to resolve collective bargaining impasses between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and recognized employee organizations. If negotiations remain deadlocked for thirty days after a fact-finding report is published, the dispute will be referred to an arbitration panel or a single arbitrator who will hold a hearing to review the final offers from both sides. The arbitrator must then select one of these final offers as the binding resolution for the dispute, and the decision becomes final upon issuance of a written opinion. This legislation directly affects state employees and their unions by creating a structured mechanism to end stalled contract negotiations without further delay.