1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to public employment; making it an unfair 
  1.3             labor practice to unilaterally modify benefits 
  1.4             received by retired employees; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1998, section 179A.13, subdivision 2. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 179A.13, 
  1.8   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2.  [EMPLOYERS.] Public employers, their agents and 
  1.10  representatives are prohibited from:  
  1.11     (1) interfering, restraining, or coercing employees in the 
  1.12  exercise of the rights guaranteed in sections 179A.01 to 
  1.13  179A.25; 
  1.14     (2) dominating or interfering with the formation, 
  1.15  existence, or administration of any employee organization or 
  1.16  contributing other support to it; 
  1.17     (3) discriminating in regard to hire or tenure to encourage 
  1.18  or discourage membership in an employee organization; 
  1.19     (4) discharging or otherwise discriminating against an 
  1.20  employee because the employee has signed or filed an affidavit, 
  1.21  petition, or complaint or given information or testimony under 
  1.22  sections 179A.01 to 179A.25; 
  1.23     (5) refusing to meet and negotiate in good faith with the 
  1.24  exclusive representative of its employees in an appropriate 
  1.25  unit; 
  2.1      (6) refusing to comply with grievance procedures contained 
  2.2   in an agreement; 
  2.3      (7) distributing or circulating a blacklist of individuals 
  2.4   exercising a legal right or of members of a labor organization 
  2.5   for the purpose of preventing blacklisted individuals from 
  2.6   obtaining or retaining employment; 
  2.7      (8) violating rules established by the commissioner 
  2.8   regulating the conduct of representation elections; 
  2.9      (9) refusing to comply with a valid decision of a binding 
  2.10  arbitration panel or arbitrator; 
  2.11     (10) violating or refusing to comply with any lawful order 
  2.12  or decision issued by the commissioner; 
  2.13     (11) refusing to provide, upon the request of the exclusive 
  2.14  representative, all information pertaining to the public 
  2.15  employer's budget both present and proposed, revenues, and other 
  2.16  financing information provided that in the executive branch of 
  2.17  state government this clause may not be considered contrary to 
  2.18  the budgetary requirements of sections 16A.10 and 16A.11; ~~or~~ 
  2.19     (12) granting or offering to grant the status of permanent 
  2.20  replacement employee to a person for performing bargaining unit 
  2.21  work for the employer during a lockout of employees in an 
  2.22  employee organization or during a strike authorized by an 
  2.23  employee organization that is an exclusive representative; or 
  2.24     (13) unilaterally modifying or reducing the level of any 
  2.25  benefits being received by a former bargaining unit member who 
  2.26  is now retired and who is receiving benefits pursuant to the 
  2.27  collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of 
  2.28  retirement.