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Pocket Guide to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act

By Bonnie G. Bogue, Carol Vendrillo, Marla Taylor, and Eric Borgerson
13th edition, 2006

$15 each

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The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act governs labor-management relationships in California local government: cities, counties, and most special districts. This update from the 12th edition covers three years of PERB and court rulings since jurisdiction over the MMBA was transferred to PERB; Supreme Court ruling establishing six-month limitations period for MMBA charges before PERB; changes in PERB doctrine including a return to the Board's pre-Lake Elisinore arbitration deferral standard and reinstatement of the doctrine of equitable tolling; new federal court developments in the constitutional rules governing agency fees, and more.

This booklet provides an easy-to-use, up-to-date resource for those who need the MMBA in a nutsehell. It’s a quick guide through the tangle of cases affecting local government employee relations and includes the full text of act, a glossary, table of cases, and index of terms. The new, 13th edition covers new Public Employment Relations Board decisions and regulations spelling out unfair practices.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction      1
    A. Overview of California Labor Relations Laws   2
    B. History of the Statutory Enactments   4
    C. Summary of the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act   7
    D. The MMBA and the Courts  14

II: Statutes            16
    A. Meyers-Milias-Brown Act   16
    B. Code of Civil Procedure Sections Addressing Binding Arbitration   35
    C. Firefighters, Labor Code  43
    D. State Labor Policy, Labor Code   44

III: Major MMBA Court Decisions and PERB Rulings   45
    A. Agency Shop   46
    B. Arbitration and Delegation of Governing Body’s Authority to Arbitrator   49
    C. Discrimination or Retaliation for, or Interference With, Protected Union Activity   50
    D. Duty to Bargain (Meet and Confer) in Good Faith   51
    E. Employer Domination of, or Interference with, Exclusive Representative   55
    F. Impasse Resolution Procedures   55
    G. Local Agency Rules   56
    H. Memoranda of Understanding, Agreements   56
    I. MMBA Preemption of Labor Relations   57
    J. Public Employment Relations Board Procedure   58
    K. Representation   60
    L. Scope of Bargaining   62
    M. Strikes   65
    N. Units   67

IV: Glossary for MMBA Users         69
V:  Table of Cases              79
VI: Index of Terms              87