| 1 | 1 | | 81R10653 TJS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Ellis S.B. No. 2551 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the right of the Harris County Hospital District to |
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| 8 | 8 | | maintain local control over wages, hours, and other terms and |
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| 9 | 9 | | conditions of employment. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 281, Health and Safety |
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| 12 | 12 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 281.060 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 281.060. HARRIS COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT; CONTROL OF |
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| 14 | 14 | | EMPLOYMENT MATTERS. (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Covered employee" means an employee of the Harris |
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| 16 | 16 | | County Hospital District. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "District" means the Harris County Hospital |
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| 18 | 18 | | District. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) "Employee association" means an organization in |
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| 20 | 20 | | which covered employees participate, that exists wholly or partly |
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| 21 | 21 | | for the purpose of dealing with one or more public or private |
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| 22 | 22 | | employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of |
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| 23 | 23 | | pay, hours of work, or conditions of employment affecting |
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| 24 | 24 | | employees, and whose members pay dues by means of an automatic |
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| 25 | 25 | | payroll deduction by policy adopted by the district. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) The district may not be denied local control over the |
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| 27 | 27 | | terms and conditions of employment of district employees, including |
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| 28 | 28 | | wages, salaries, rates of pay, and hours of work or over any other |
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| 29 | 29 | | personnel issue. Notwithstanding any other law, the district may |
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| 30 | 30 | | meet and confer with an employee association recognized under |
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| 31 | 31 | | standards established by the district as the sole and exclusive |
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| 32 | 32 | | bargaining agent for all covered employees and may enter into a |
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| 33 | 33 | | memorandum of understanding with the employee association |
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| 34 | 34 | | regarding terms and conditions of employment, including wages, |
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| 35 | 35 | | salaries, rates of pay, and hours of work, or regarding any other |
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| 36 | 36 | | personnel issue. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) A memorandum of understanding entered into under this |
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| 38 | 38 | | section: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (1) is not enforceable or binding on the district, an |
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| 40 | 40 | | employee association, or any other person or party; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) may be submitted to the Commissioners Court of |
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| 42 | 42 | | Harris County for any purpose determined to be appropriate by the |
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| 43 | 43 | | district or the commissioners court. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) The district may, as part of its standards for |
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| 45 | 45 | | recognition of an employee association, require the employee |
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| 46 | 46 | | association to produce a petition signed by a majority of all |
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| 47 | 47 | | covered employees that requests recognition of the association as |
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| 48 | 48 | | the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all covered employees. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (e) This chapter does not require the district and the |
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| 50 | 50 | | recognized employee association to meet and confer or reach an |
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| 51 | 51 | | agreement on any issue. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 53 | 53 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 54 | 54 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 55 | 55 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 56 | 56 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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