Maine's Public Labor Law

The latter half of the last decade saw a rapid increase in activity on the part of labor organizations formed by public employees in Maine. This activity received an impetus from an opinion of the Attorney General and from a Legislative Research Committee Report based on the Labor Relations Act of 1941. Through different methods of reasoning both documents concluded that public employees had the right to form labor organizations, but neither document defined the relationship between these employees and their public employer. Although the activity of these organizations was evidenced by the formation of agreements with municipalities and by the prospect of strikes, due to the lack of pertinent legislation the procedures for this activity were questionable and the legality of the agreements was in doubt. The entire field of labor relations relative to public employees was in a state of confusion in Maine. The Municipal Public Employees Labor Relations Law (Public Labor Law) was enacted to legitimize the formation of labor organizations by public employees and to provide a structure for the relationship between these employees and their municipal employers.