PRINTER'S NO. 2167

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 1697 Session of 1983


        INTRODUCED BY SAURMAN, HAGARTY, HERSHEY, McCLATCHY, MACKOWSKI,
           NAHILL AND SEVENTY, NOVEMBER 16, 1983

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, NOVEMBER 16, 1983

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), entitled
     2     "An act establishing rights in public employes to organize
     3     and bargain collectively through selected representatives;
     4     defining public employes to include employes of nonprofit
     5     organizations and institutions; providing compulsory
     6     mediation and fact-finding, for collective bargaining
     7     impasses; providing arbitration for certain public employes
     8     for collective bargaining impasses; defining the scope of
     9     collective bargaining; establishing unfair employe and
    10     employer practices; prohibiting strikes for certain public
    11     employes; permitting strikes under limited conditions;
    12     providing penalties for violations; and establishing
    13     procedures for implementation," providing procedures to be
    14     followed when a strike or lockout reaches a certain point.

    15     WHEREAS, A one hundred eighty day instructional school year
    16  is part of the provision of a quality education program for all
    17  students that is required by the Pennsylvania Constitution. This
    18  schedule will aid in the provision of equal opportunities for
    19  all students to compete for scholarships, job opportunities and
    20  college placement. Any deviation, however minimal, will greatly
    21  effect the quality of education provided for students. It is the
    22  intent of the General Assembly that the one hundred eighty day
    23  instructional school year be provided through the school


     1  calendar initially adopted by the board of school directors as
     2  provided by law and that this calendar be altered only as the
     3  result of an emergency. An emergency shall not include a strike
     4  or work stoppage as defined by the act to which this is an
     5  amendment.
     6     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     7  hereby enacts as follows:
     8     Section 1.  The act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known
     9  as the Public Employe Relations Act, is amended by adding a
    10  section to read:
    11     Section 1005.1.  (a)  The Secretary of Education shall notify
    12  by telegram the president of the certified bargaining unit and
    13  the president of the board of school directors of any district
    14  which is not providing education to its students as a result of
    15  a strike or lockout three days before the strike or lockout
    16  reaches the point where one hundred eighty days of instruction
    17  cannot be provided based upon the school calendar as originally
    18  adopted without extending the school week, eliminating holidays
    19  or extending the last day of the school year, that classes must
    20  resume the day after both parties have received the notice. Upon
    21  receipt of such notice and order in the case of a strike, all
    22  striking professional employes shall, notwithstanding any other
    23  provision of this act, immediately report to work, and in the
    24  case of a lockout the board of school directors shall
    25  immediately open all its schools. Any professional employe who
    26  refuses to return to work without permission of the school board
    27  of directors or who returns to work but abstains wholly or in
    28  part from the full performance of his duties or who returns to
    29  work and fails to continue working shall be denied compensation
    30  for each such day. Any member of the board of school directors
    19830H1697B2167                  - 2 -

     1  who fails to take affirmative action to immediately open all the
     2  schools of the district upon receipt of the secretary's notice
     3  and order shall be subject to a surcharge in the amount of the
     4  per diem salary of the highest paid member of the certified
     5  bargaining unit for each day all of the schools of the district
     6  are not open.
     7     (b)  The provisions of the collective bargaining agreement in
     8  effect prior to the commencement of the strike or lockout shall
     9  control relations between the professional employes and the
    10  board of school directors. The professional employes and the
    11  board of school directors shall immediately engage in good faith
    12  collective bargaining on a daily basis with the assistance of a
    13  mediator from the Bureau of Mediation. When a collective
    14  bargaining agreement is reached, its terms shall be retroactive
    15  to the date the professional employes returned to school
    16  pursuant to the secretary's notice and order except that all
    17  professional employes shall forfeit one-half of any negotiated
    18  increase in salary calculated on a per diem basis for every day
    19  settlement is not made following the date of the secretary's
    20  notice and order. The school district shall lose subsidy
    21  payments in the amount of one and one-half times the total
    22  amount of salary forfeited by all professional employes under
    23  the provisions of the preceding sentence for each day settlement
    24  is not made following the date of the secretary's notice and
    25  order. No settlement reached after professional employees have
    26  returned to work or after schools have opened shall provide for
    27  compensation for any days worked in excess of one hundred eighty
    28  days. The provisions of this section shall supersede any
    29  collective bargaining agreement and cannot be waived, changed or
    30  altered by the professional employes or the board of school
    19830H1697B2167                  - 3 -

     1  directors.
     2     (c)  The board of school directors or the professional
     3  employes or their employe representative shall petition the
     4  court of common pleas for injunctive relief to enforce the
     5  provisions of this section.
     6     (d)  The penalties imposed by this section shall not be
     7  waived or modified.
     8     Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.















    J19L43CHF/19830H1697B2167        - 4 -