House Bill No. 523, introduced by Representative Wilder, aims to establish new regulations regarding the election of collective bargaining representatives in Louisiana. The bill enacts R.S. 23:988, which includes definitions for key terms such as "collective bargaining representative," "collective bargaining unit," "labor organization," "public employee," "public employer," and "third-party election facilitator." Starting October 1, 2024, and every four years thereafter, collective bargaining representatives will be required to hire a third-party election facilitator to conduct a secret ballot election to certify their representation. The election must be completed by December 1st, and if more than 50% of employees in the bargaining unit vote in favor, the representative may continue to serve.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that it does not grant public employees the right to collective bargaining and explicitly exempts law enforcement and firefighter services from its provisions. The amendments made during the legislative process included changing the election date and the percentage of votes required for certification, as well as removing certain provisions related to the certification process. Overall, the bill seeks to formalize the process of electing collective bargaining representatives while ensuring specific sectors are not included under its regulations.