SLRB Representation Elections

What Are Elections About?

For the full law concerning union elections, please refer to the Law and Regulations sections.

Unions who show support among employees eligible for collective bargaining in a given unit may submit petitions for election as employees’ “exclusive representative.” Initial elections always give employees the choice of “no exclusive representative” on the ballots which are cast in secret. A union must get a majority of votes cast in order to be certified as exclusive representative. Your vote does matter!

The elected representative may then negotiate a contract (memorandum of understanding, or “MOU” under the statute) with the employing agency or department on behalf of all employees in the unit.

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Representation Election Forms

Certification Petition form

This form may be completed and filed by an employee organization wishing to become the exclusive representative of a particular bargaining unit, where there is currently no incumbent union in place. Such a petition must be accompanied by cards signed by 30% of the employees in the bargaining unit, expressing an interest in being represented by the employee organization.

Decertification Petition form

This form may be completed and filed by a bargaining unit employee wishing to decertify the current exclusive representative for that particular bargaining unit. Such a petition must be accompanied by cards representing that at least 30% of the bargaining unit are no longer interested in being represented by the employee organization.

Decertification/Certification Petition form

This form may be completed and filed by an employee organization wishing to replace an incumbent exclusive representative for a particular bargaining unit. Please note, as per Board regulations, that this filing will only be accepted by the Board at the following times:

• at least two years after a representation election, OR
• within a 120 to 90 day window before a current Memorandum of Understanding (with a term of three years) is set to expire.

Also, as above, a Decertification/Certification petition must be accompanied by cards representing that 30% of the employee unit wishes both to not to be represented by the incumbent union, and that they wish to be represented by the petitioning employee organization.