How are labor negotiations handled through the Office of Labor Relations?
Labor Relations FAQs
The Kansas Department of Labor Labor Relations Division acts on behalf of the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) to administer the Public Employer Employee Relations Act (PEERA) and for the Secretary of Labor to administer the Professional Negotiations Act (PNA). These Kansas laws, enacted more than 35 years ago, establish the right of public employees in Kansas to organize and negotiate with public employers regarding terms and conditions of employment and grievances. Please select from a Labor Relations category below to get more help.
null How are labor negotiations handled through the Office of Labor Relations?
Public employee groups which choose to be represented in their negotiations with their public employer hold an election to determine who or what entity will represent them in the negotiations. For example, police officers may elect the Fraternal Order of Police to represent them. Timing for the elections for representation are different under PEERA and PNA. PEERA allows them throughout the year while PNA has a cutoff date of December 1 for the next year’s representation for negotiations.
Please visit the Labor Relations Division page for access to all PNA and PEERA forms. The petition requirements and the notification about impasse are different under PERB and PNA.
Generally, when an impasse in bargaining is reached, the Office will contact the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a free service of the U.S. Department of Labor, for negotiation assistance. If the parties cannot settle, the issue goes to “fact finding.” A list of five fact-finders will be provided by the Office of Labor Relations to help the parties reach agreement over their terms and conditions of employment.
PNA agreements have a deadline of June 1 each year, but the process can be extended into the summer if there is an impasse.