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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2970 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2093
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Carol A. Doherty
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to collective bargaining rights for legislative employees.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol1/16/2025Dennis C. Gallagher8th Plymouth2/3/2025Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/3/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/3/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex2/3/2025David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth2/3/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/3/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/3/2025Margaret R. Scarsdale1st Middlesex2/3/2025Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/3/2025Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/7/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/11/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2970 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2093
By Representative Doherty of Taunton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2093) of
Carol A. Doherty and others relative to allowing legislative employees to unionize. Labor and
Workforce Development.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to collective bargaining rights for legislative employees.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 150E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “executive”, in line 10, the
3following:-, “legislative”.
4 SECTION 2. Said section 1 of said chapter 150E, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
5inserting after the definition of “Legislative body” the following definitions:-
6 “Legislative employees”, all employees of the general court, including, but not limited to,
7legislative personal employees, employees of committees, caucuses, legislative information
8services, the house and senate business offices, the engrossing division, the house and senate
9clerk’s offices, the house and senate counsel’s offices and the house and senate human resource
10offices. 2 of 3
11 “Legislative personal employees”, general court employees whom the house speaker or
12senate president has approved for employment in the office of a particular senator or
13representative at the request of said senator or representative.
14 SECTION 3. Section 3 of said chapter 150E, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
15inserting after the third paragraph the following 2 paragraphs:-
16 Appropriate bargaining units in the senate may include all legislative employees;
17provided however, that: (1) in the case of legislative personal employees, legislative employees
18within the senate president’s office, the senate minority leader’s office, the office of the chair of
19the senate ways and means committee, the senate clerk’s office, or senate counsel’s office may
20be managerial or confidential employees that are excluded from the bargaining unit if said
21employees are managerial or confidential employees as defined in section 1; and (2) in the case
22of all other legislative employees, said employees may be excluded from a bargaining unit if said
23employees are managerial or confidential employees as defined in section 1.
24 Appropriate bargaining units in the house may include all legislative employees;
25provided however, that: (1) in the case of legislative personal employees, legislative employees
26within the house speaker’s office, the house minority leader’s office, the office of the chair of the
27house ways and means committee, the house clerk’s office, or house counsel’s office may be
28managerial or confidential employees that are excluded from the bargaining unit if said
29employees are managerial or confidential employees as defined in section 1; and (2) in the case
30of all other legislative employees, said employees may be excluded from a bargaining unit if said
31employees are managerial or confidential employees as defined in section 1. 3 of 3
32 SECTION 4. Section 23 of chapter 268A of the General Laws is hereby amended by
33striking out the words “; and (iv) establishing additional exclusions for other situations that do
34not present a genuine risk of a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest” and inserting in
35place thereof the following words:-
36 ; (iv) establishing additional exclusions for other situations that do not present a genuine
37risk of a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest; and (v) establishing specific
38exemptions, exclusions and procedures for curing particular perceptions of a conflict of interest
39as they may apply to exclusive representatives under Chapter 150E.