This bill amends Section 20.15 of the Iowa Code to establish new procedures for retention and recertification elections for public employee collective bargaining units. It mandates that the employment appeal board (the board) conduct an election to retain and recertify the bargaining representative of a bargaining unit before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. The bill specifies timelines for when these elections should occur based on the expiration date of the agreements and requires the board to issue a written notice of intent to conduct an election to both the public employer and the bargaining representative. Public employers are then required to submit a list of employees in the bargaining unit within ten days of receiving this notice.

Additionally, the bill makes it unlawful for public employers to fail to submit the required list of employees and allows Iowa residents to petition the district court for a writ of mandamus to compel compliance. The court is instructed to expedite such cases and may award costs and attorney fees to the prevailing party. The board is also tasked with publishing a list of public employers who have received a notice of intent but have not yet conducted the election, and it must adopt rules to establish procedures and timelines for these processes. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and applies to elections for which the notice of intent is issued on or after the effective date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 20.15