SB 1563 Summary

• Adds Chapter 9 to Title 38 of the Arizona Revised Statutes to establish state employee organizational rights and meet-and-confer procedures.

• Prohibits state employees and employee organizations from engaging in sickouts, work slowdowns, strikes, or other actions that disrupt service delivery.

• Grants employee organizations with at least 1,000 state employee members a seat at the bargaining table and requires state departments to meet and confer on wages, hours, benefits, and employment terms at least once every two years.

• Establishes a voluntary mediation process if meet-and-confer negotiations fail to reach agreement, with a neutral third-party mediator assisting the parties in good faith.

• Requires all meet-and-confer agreements to be submitted to the governor for review and approval, with the governor's final decision being binding on all parties.