Public transit employer-employee relations: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.

Existing law creates the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District with various powers and duties and establishes a board of directors as the legislative body of the district. Existing law requires the board, upon a majority of district employees in a unit appropriate for collective bargaining indicating a desire to be represented by a labor organization, to bargain with the accredited representative of those employees. Existing law requires the board and employees to bargain in good faith and make all reasonable efforts to reach agreement on the terms of a written contract governing wages, salaries, hours, working conditions, and grievance procedures. This bill would specify that the Public Employment Relations Board, and the powers and duties of the Public Employment Relations Board, has jurisdiction, as appropriate, to enforce these statutory provisions governing employer-employee relations within the district. The bill, among other things, would require the district to give reasonable written notice to an exclusive representative of its intent to make any change to matters within the scope of representation of the employees represented by the exclusive representative, as provided. The bill, among other things, would deem certain acts of the district and employee organizations to be unlawful, would require employers and employees of the district to adjudicate complaints of specified labor violations before the Public Employment Relations Board as an unfair practice, and would authorize specified parties aggrieved by the Public Employment Relations Board's decision or order to petition for relief from that decision or order, as provided. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. To the extent that this bill would increase the duties of the district, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.