A. The protection of the public health, safety and welfare demands that the permanent members of any Rural Fire Protection District not be accorded the right to strike or engage in any work stoppage or slowdown. This necessary prohibition does not, however, require the denial to such employees of other well-recognized rights of labor such as the right to organize, to be represented by a collective bargaining representative of their choice and the right to bargain collectively concerning wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment; and such employees shall also have the right to refrain from any and all such activities.

B. It is declared to be the public policy of this state to accord to the full-time firefighters in a Rural Fire Protection District all of the rights of labor, other than the right to strike or to engage in any work stoppage or slowdown. Nothing in this act shall constitute a grant of the right to strike to any full-time firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District and such strikes are hereby prohibited. Unless otherwise provided by law, any person holding such a position who, by concerted action with others and without the lawful approval of the person’s superior, willfully absents the person from his or her position or abstains in whole or in part from the full, faithful and proper performance of such person’s duties for the purpose of inducing, influencing or coercing a change in the conditions or compensation, or the rights, privileges or obligations of employment shall be deemed to be on strike but the person, upon request, shall be entitled to a determination as to whether he or she did violate the provisions of this act. The request shall be filed in writing. The official or body with whom the request is filed shall have the power to remove or discipline such employee within ten (10) days after regular compensation of such employee has ceased or other discipline has been imposed. In the event of such request, the official or body shall within ten (10) days after the receipt of such request commence a proceeding for the determination of whether the provisions of this act have been violated by the full-time firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District, in accordance with the law and regulations appropriate to a proceeding to remove a full-time firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District. The proceedings shall be undertaken without unnecessary delay. The decision of the proceeding shall be made within ten (10) days following the conclusion of the hearing. If the employee involved is held to have violated this act and his or her employment terminated or other discipline imposed, the employee shall have the right of review in the district court having jurisdiction of the parties, within thirty (30) days from such decision, for determination whether such decision is supported by competent, material and substantial evidence on the whole record. To provide for the exercise of these rights, a method of arbitration of disputes is hereby established.

C. It is declared to be the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that no person shall be discharged from or denied employment as a member of any Rural Fire Protection District of this state by reason of membership or nonmembership in, or the payment or nonpayment of any dues, fees or other charges to, an organization of such members for collective bargaining purposes as herein contemplated.

D. The establishment of this method of arbitration shall not, however, in any way whatever, be deemed to be a recognition by the state of compulsory arbitration as a superior method of settling labor disputes between employees who possess the right to strike and their employers, but rather shall be deemed to be a recognition solely of the necessity to provide some alternative procedure for settling disputes where employees must, as a matter of public policy, be denied the usual right to strike.

Added by Laws 2003, c. 136, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2003. Amended by Laws 2004, c. 104, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2004.