Minnesota Session Laws - 1993, Regular Session

  
    Laws of Minnesota 1993 

                        CHAPTER 136-S.F.No. 911 
           An act relating to public employment; essential 
          employees; requiring the commissioner of the bureau of 
          mediation services to designate separate units for 
          peace officers and other essential employees at the 
          request of either group of employees; amending 
          Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 179A.09, by adding a 
          subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
          Statutes, chapter 43A. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [43A.321] [VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND RESCUE 
WORKERS; AGREEMENTS.] 
    (a) An employee may reach an agreement with the employee's 
appointing authority to respond to emergency calls as a 
volunteer emergency fire or rescue worker during working hours, 
provided that: 
    (1) the employee does not respond to a call when the 
employee's sudden absence would endanger others; and 
    (2) the employee remits to the appointing authority any 
compensation received for responding to the call.  
    (b) If such an agreement is entered into: 
    (1) the appointing authority shall make no deductions from 
the employee's wages or sick or vacation time for time spent 
responding to calls; and 
    (2) workers' compensation liability is the responsibility 
of the entity for which the emergency services are provided 
while the employee is responding to the call. 
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 179A.09, is 
amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
    Subd. 3.  [DIVISION OF UNITS.] If a designated appropriate 
unit contains both peace officers subject to licensure under 
sections 626.84 to 626.855 and essential employees who are not 
peace officers, the commissioner, at the request of a majority 
of either the peace officers or the other essential employees 
within the unit, shall divide the unit into two separate 
appropriate units, one for the peace officers and one for the 
other essential employees. 
    Presented to the governor May 11, 1993 
    Signed by the governor May 13, 1993, 2:54 p.m.