AZ SB1761

Establishes a "meet and confer" process between state departments and employee organizations representing at least 1,000 state employees regarding wages, hours, benefits, and employment conditions.

Requires departments to meet and confer with qualified employee organizations at least once every two years, and at other reasonable times upon request, in good faith.

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

Establishes a voluntary mediation process if parties cannot reach agreement after reasonable meet and confer discussions, with a neutral third-party mediator facilitating negotiations.

Requires any agreements reached to be submitted to the governor for final review and approval, which is binding; preserves all existing departmental rights regarding hiring, discipline, work direction, and operational efficiency.