SB-0971 Summary

• Amends the 1947 Public Employment Relations Act to modify the definition of "public employee" and related terms under Michigan law.

• Excludes public school administrators employed by first-class school districts from classification as public employees if the chief executive officer issued an order by April 9, 2000 determining it was in the school district's best interests, effective for all administrators hired after that order.

• Excludes graduate student research assistants and individuals without sufficient employer-employee relationships under the IRS 20-factor test from public employee status and collective bargaining rights.

• Prohibits strikes by public school employees, including actions taken to protest unfair labor practices by school employers, in addition to traditional work stoppages.

• Preserves public employee rights to express grievances and communicate views on employment conditions without interference with job duties.