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S 1311

Authorizes Jonathan Montalvo to be placed on the eligible list for employment as a university police officer

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Jackson

Imposes a fixed 6-month negotiation window and a 6-month mediation limit before strikes for public employees; public safety workers may never strike; §9A rules shift after impasse.

SIGNED CHAP.539
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Bill Summary · S 1311

Summary — S.1311 (2025): "An Act uplifting families and securing the right to strike for certain public employees"

Status: Signed into law (Chapter 539) — delivered to Governor 11/17/2025; signed 11/21/2025
Filed: Senate docketed 1/15/2025; introduced 4/05/2025
Primary sponsor (Senate): Sen. James B. Eldridge (petitioners also include Vanna Howard, James K. Hawkins, Erika Uyterhoeven, Pavel Payano)
Related: Companion/related measures A8684, HR 1039, SD 1029

Purpose
- To modify the collective bargaining timeline and strike-related restrictions in Massachusetts General Laws chapter 150E, specifically by creating firm time limits on negotiation/mediation before employees may engage in certain job actions, and by clarifying how provisions apply once an impasse petition is filed. The law preserves a total prohibition on strikes by public safety employees.

Key provisions (statutory changes)
1. Fixes initial bargaining delay before job action
- Replaces the phrase “a reasonable period” in G.L. c.150E, §9 with a fixed period: 6 months. This means parties must negotiate for 6 months before certain statutory strike restrictions lift.

  1. Limits mediation duration

    • Adds language after “mediation” in §9 specifying mediation may be “not to exceed 6 months.”

  2. Carve-out for application of §9A after impasse petition

    • Adds that the provisions of §9A shall not apply once a petition for determination of an impasse is filed under §9, except when the negotiation concerns public safety employees. (In other words, §9A’s rules continue to apply for public safety negotiations even after an impasse petition; for other employee groups, §9A will not apply after an impasse petition is filed.)

  3. Revises §9A(a) — timing and scope of strike prohibition

    • Replaces §9A(a) to state: no public employee or employee organization may engage in a strike, work stoppage, slowdown or withholding of services prior to 6 months of negotiation under §9. It further provides that public safety employees (and organizations representing them) are prohibited from striking in any circumstance.

Who is affected
- All public employees and public employee organizations (unions) in Massachusetts engaged in collective bargaining under G.L. c.150E.
- Public safety employees (police, firefighters, etc.) are explicitly preserved as never being permitted to strike.
- Public employers and municipal agencies involved in collective bargaining will face a clarified, fixed timeline for negotiations and mediation.

Practical impact and implications
- Establishes a clear, uniform 6‑month negotiation/mediation period before most public-sector employees can lawfully engage in strikes or similar job actions — replacing a previously vaguer “reasonable period.”
- Likely reduces the immediacy of strike threats early in bargaining, giving more formal time for negotiation/mediation; may change bargaining leverage and strategy for unions and employers.
- By making §9A inapplicable after an impasse petition (except for public safety), the bill shifts the legal framework that governs what happens once parties declare impasse, potentially affecting the pathway to resolution (e.g., arbitration, fact-finding, or other statutory mechanisms).
- Reinforces longstanding policy that public safety employees are always prohibited from striking.

Legislative timeline (selected)
- Referred to various committees (Civil Service & Pensions; Labor & Workforce Development; Veterans’ Affairs) and held public hearings in mid-2025.
- Passed both legislative chambers in June 2025; delivered to the Governor 11/17/2025; signed into law as Chapter 539 on 11/21/2025.

Note: This summary focuses on the amendments to G.L. c.150E contained in S.1311. Readers should consult the enacted chapter (Ch. 539 of 2025) for the final statutory text and any conforming changes elsewhere in law.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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