Massachusetts laws
MGL c. 149, §§ 20-20E Coercion of agreement not to join a labor organization, etc.
MGL c. 150 Conciliation and arbitration of industrial disputes
MGL c. 150A Labor relations
MGL c. 150C Collective bargaining agreements to arbitrate
MGL c. 150E Public employee labor relations
- § 7(a) "Any collective bargaining agreement reached between the employer and the exclusive representative shall not exceed a term of three years [unless there is] a provision in a collective bargaining agreement stating that the agreement's terms shall remain in full force and effect beyond the 3 years until a successor agreement is voluntarily negotiated by the parties."
Massachusetts regulations
456 CMR Mass. Department of Labor Relations
Federal laws
29 USC Chapter 7, Labor Management Relations Act. (Taft-Hartley Act, 1947)
29 USC Chapter 7, Subchapter II National Labor Relations Act. (Wagner Act, 1935) A subchapter within Chapter 7, but "not part of the 1947 Labor Management Relations Act".
29 USC Chapter 11 Labor-Management and Reporting and Disclosure Act. (Landrum-Griffin Act, 1959)
Selected court cases and agency decisions
Department of Labor Relations-Commonwealth Employment Relations Board Recent Decisions, 2016-date.
Selected court cases on the topic of unions and collective bargaining
Forms
Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations forms, includes forms for: public employment, private employment, conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.
Agencies
Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations
Serves public sector employers, employees, and unions. Private sector employers, unions, or people represented by a union may be eligible to file an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the Department of Labor Relations.
National Labor Relations Board
An independent federal agency, which protects the rights of most private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve their wages and working condition.
Web sources
A guide to the Massachusetts public employee collective bargaining law, Mass. Dept. of Labor Relations.
A well-known title on Massachusetts collective bargaining law. Includes detailed procedures, summary of law, and more.
NLRB bench book, National Labor Relations Board, April 2024.
This bench book "sets forth Board precedent and other rulings and authorities on certain recurring procedural and evidentiary issues that may arise during the hearing. It is not a digest of substantive law. Nor should it be cited as precedent or considered a substitute for issue-specific research."
NLRB manuals, National Labor Relations Board. Includes casehandling manuals:
- Part I: Unfair labor proceedings, June 2024.
Covers everything you need to know about unfair labor practice. - Part II: Representation proceedings, December 2023
Covers the petition or election process to determine whether a representative will represent, or continue to represent, a unit of employees. - Part III: Compliance proceedings, October 2020
Covers all facets of compliance proceedings.
Worker organizing resource and knowledge center, U.S. Department of Labor.
A “one-stop shop for information and resources on unions and collective bargaining for workers, employers, unions, government agencies, students and anyone interested in unions and collective bargaining.”
Your right to form a union, National Labor Relations Board.
Print sources
How to take a case before the NLRB, 10th ed., BNA, 2020.
Note: Please contact the Trial Court Law Libraries for electronic access to the most current resource through interlibrary loan.
Labor and employment in Massachusetts by Jeffrey L. Hirsch, 2nd ed., LexisNexis, loose-leaf. (eBook available with library card)
Chapter 12: Labor Relations, Union Organizing, Collective Bargaining, and Strikes.
Massachusetts employer's guide, Blue Gavel Press, loose-leaf.
Chapter 10: Unions and Government Contractors.
Massachusetts employment law, 6th ed., MCLE, 2024.
Chapter 20: Collective Activity and the National Labor Relations Act.
Massachusetts labor cases, Landlaw Legal Publishers, monthly.
Includes the full text of the Mass. Department of Labor Relations’ decisions, along with fully annotated subject matter indices.
Massachusetts labor relations reporter, Landlaw Legal Publishers, monthly.
Digested versions of Mass. Department of Labor Relations’ decisions affecting public employees, with comprehensive indices.
Municipal law and practice (Mass. practice v.18) by Douglas A. Randall, 5th ed., Thomson/West, with supplement.
Chapter 12: Labor Relations.
Your rights in the workplace by Sachi Barreiro, 11th ed., Nolo, 2018. (eBook available here with library card)
Contact
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| Last updated: | March 7, 2025 |
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