A. Firefighters and police officers in any municipality shall have the separate right to bargain collectively with their municipality and to be represented by a bargaining agent in such collective bargaining with respect to wages, salaries, hours, rates of pay, grievances, working conditions and all other terms and conditions of employment.

B. Whenever, conformable to regulations that may be prescribed by the Public Employees Relations Board, herein created, a petition is filed by:

1. A labor organization alleging that thirty percent (30%) of the firefighters or police officers in a municipality:

a. wish to be represented for collective bargaining by an exclusive employee representative, or

b. assert that the designated exclusive employee representative is no longer the representative of the majority of employees in the unit; or

2. The employer alleging that one or more labor organizations has presented to it a claim to be recognized as the exclusive employee representative in an appropriate unit;

the Board shall investigate the facts alleged therein and if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation exists, it shall provide for an appropriate hearing upon due notice. If the Board finds upon the record of such hearing that such a question of representation exists, it shall direct an election by secret ballot and shall certify the results thereof. The Board may also certify a labor organization as an exclusive employee representative if it determines that a free and untrammelled election cannot be conducted because of the employer's unfair labor practices.

C. Only those labor organizations which have been designated by more than ten percent (10%) of the employees in the unit found to be appropriate shall be placed on the ballot. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the waiving of hearing by stipulation for the purpose of a consent election, in conformity with the rules and regulations of the Board.

D. In order to assure to firefighters and police officers of any municipality the fullest freedom in exercising the rights guaranteed by this article, the Board shall decide in each case before it in which the issue is raised the unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining, and shall consider such factors as community of interest, wages, hours and other working conditions of the employees involved, the history of collective bargaining, and the desires of the employees.

E. An election shall not be directed in any bargaining unit or in any subdivision thereof within which, in the preceding twelve-month period, a valid election has been held. The Board shall determine who is eligible to vote in the election and shall establish rules governing the election. In any election where none of the choices on the ballot receives a majority, but a majority of all votes cast are for representation by some labor organization, a run-off election shall be conducted. A labor organization which receives the majority of the votes cast in an election shall be certified by the Board as the exclusive employee representative.

Laws 1977, c. 256, § 51-103, eff. July 1, 1978.