Bill > H2256

This bill proposes to amend existing Massachusetts General Laws concerning public service employees and union membership. Specifically, it addresses "fair share" provisions, which are payments made by employees who choose not to join a union but still benefit from the union's collective bargaining efforts. The bill states that if an "agency service fee" (a fee paid by non-union employees to the union) is not explicitly agreed upon in the collective bargaining agreement, then the fair share provision will automatically apply. This means non-union employees would be required to pay the union a percentage of their wages to cover the costs of negotiations for wages, benefits, working conditions, and grievance procedures. If an employee fails to pay this fair share, they would be excluded from most benefits of the collective bargaining agreement, with the exception of any negotiated Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases.