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S 2172Labor Relations

Labor and Labor Relations - Labor Relations Act

This bill legalizes strikes for public school teachers, municipal and state employees, and healthcare workers, while retaining bans for public safety personnel.

Held for study
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 16, 2026Committee Senate Labor & Gaming

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island labor laws to explicitly grant the right to strike to several groups of public and private sector employees who were previously prohibited from doing so. Specifically, it extends the right to strike to certified public school teachers, municipal employees, and state employees. It also removes the strike prohibition for healthcare provider employees, such as those working in hospitals and nursing homes, while establishing a mediation and arbitration process for them. The bill maintains the ban on strikes for essential public safety personnel, including police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and 911 emergency employees.

For younger readers

Right now, there are laws that say people who work for the government, like teachers and town workers, are not allowed to go on strike. A strike is when workers stop working to ask for better pay or rules. This new law would change that. It would let teachers, people who work for the town or state, and hospital workers go on strike if they need to. However, police officers, firefighters, and 911 call takers would still not be allowed to strike because they are needed for emergencies to keep everyone safe.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Public school teachersMunicipal employeesState employeesHealthcare workersParents and students
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Restores the fundamental right to withhold labor for public sector workers and teachers, significantly balancing power dynamics between employees and government employers.
  • Empowers healthcare and education workers to advocate more effectively for better working conditions, which often correlates directly with better patient care and student outcomes.
  • Strengthens the broader labor movement by removing archaic restrictions on collective action, potentially leading to fairer wages and benefits for essential workers.
  • Strikes in healthcare settings or schools could temporarily disrupt critical services for vulnerable populations, such as low-income students relying on school meals or patients needing care.
  • Retaining the strike ban for 911 operators and correctional officers creates a two-tiered system of labor rights within the public sector rather than universal coverage.
  • The requirement for binding arbitration in healthcare disputes might still limit the full leverage of a strike action compared to other sectors.
For Conservatives
  • Maintains the strict prohibition on strikes for essential public safety personnel like police, firefighters, and 911 operators to ensure public order is preserved.
  • Mandates mediation and binding arbitration for healthcare disputes, providing a mechanism to resolve conflicts without immediate work stoppages in critical sectors.
  • Clarifies the specific categories of state employees who are restricted from striking, reducing legal ambiguity regarding correctional and emergency personnel.
  • Empowers public sector unions to shut down schools and government services, potentially holding taxpayers and parents hostage for higher wage demands.
  • Likely increases the cost of government and property taxes as unions gain leverage to demand expensive contracts without the check of a strike ban.
  • Threatens the continuity of healthcare services and education, prioritizing union tactics over the reliability of services for patients, students, and families.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 14 additions · 16 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 28-7-45 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-7 entitled "Labor Relations Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 28-7-45. Employees exempt from chapter.

(a) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply: (1) To the employees of any employer who concedes to and agrees with the board that the employees are subject to and protected by the provisions of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, 29 U.S.C. § 141 et seq., or the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. § 151 et seq.; (2) Except as provided in Chapter 11 of title 36 as to employees of the state; (3) Except as provided in chapter 9.4 of this title as to employees of any political or civil subdivision or other agency thereof; (4) Except “firefighters” as defined in chapter 9.1 of this title and “police officers” as defined in chapter 9.2 of this title; or (5) Except “school teachers” as defined in chapter 9.3 of this title; provided, that in the case of firefighters, police officers, and healthcare provider employees, including those of hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, and orphanages, the provisions of this chapter shall apply, but nothing contained in this chapter shall be deemed in any manner to grant to any firefighters, or police officers, or healthcare provider employees, including those of hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, and orphanages, the right to engage in any strike. Any strike by any firefighters, or police officers, or healthcare provider employees, including those of hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, and orphanages, shall be illegal.

(b) When an impasse is reached by an employer and a union representing healthcare provider employees, including those of hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, and orphanages, the mediation services of the department of labor and training shall be utilized for mediation and factfinding. If the issues remain unresolved, then the parties shall proceed to arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.

SECTION 2. Section 28-9.3-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-9.3 entitled "Certified School Teachers’ Arbitration" is hereby amended to read as follows: 28-9.3-1. Declaration of policy — Purpose.

(a) In pursuance of the duty imposed upon it by the constitution to promote public schools and to adopt all means necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education, the general assembly declares that it recognizes teaching as a profession that requires special educational qualifications and that to achieve high quality education it is indispensable that good relations exist between teaching personnel and school committees.

(b) It is declared to be the public policy of this state to accord to certified public school teachers the right to organize, to be represented, to negotiate professionally, to strike, and to bargain on a collective basis with school committees covering hours, salary, working conditions, and other terms of professional employment; provided, that nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to accord to certified public school teachers the right to strike.

SECTION 3. Sections 28-9.4-1 and 28-9.4-16 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-9.4 entitled "Municipal Employees’ Arbitration" are hereby amended to read as follows: 28-9.4-1. Declaration of policy — Purpose. It is declared to be the public policy of this state to accord to municipal employees the right to organize, to be represented, to negotiate, and to bargain on a collective basis with municipal employers, covering hours, salary, working conditions and other terms of employment; provided, that nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to accord to municipal employees the right to strike. 28-9.4-16. Strikes by municipal employees illegal Strikes by municipal firefighters and police officers illegal. Municipal employees firefighters and police officers covered by the provisions of this chapter shall not have the right to engage in any strike, work stoppage, or slowdown strike; and any strike, work stoppage, or slowdown strike by municipal firefighters or police officers shall be illegal.

SECTION 4. Section 36-11-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-11 entitled "Organization of State Employees" is hereby amended to read as follows: 36-11-6. Powers of representative organizations. Organizations representing state employees, firefighters as defined in § 28-9.1-3, and police officers as defined in § 28-9.2-3, shall enjoy all the benefits of and be subject to all the provisions of chapter 7 of title 28, except that those employees firefighters, correctional officers, 911 employees, and police officers shall not have the right to strike.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.