1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to labor relations; requiring employers to 
  1.3             recognize certain employee organizations; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 179A.12, by adding a 
  1.5             subdivision. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 179A.12, is 
  1.8   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2a.  [RECOGNITION OF EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION BY 
  1.10  EMPLOYER.] An employer shall recognize and the commissioner 
  1.11  shall certify an employee organization as an exclusive 
  1.12  representative in an appropriate unit if the employee 
  1.13  organization represents 60 percent of employees in the 
  1.14  appropriate unit.  In determining the percent of employees 
  1.15  represented by an employee organization for purposes of this 
  1.16  subdivision, the commissioner shall require dated representation 
  1.17  authorization signatures of affected employees as verification 
  1.18  of the statement of support by the representative of employees.  
  1.19  The authorization signatures are privileged confidential 
  1.20  information available only to the commissioner.  This 
  1.21  subdivision does not reduce the time period or nullify any bar 
  1.22  to the certification of the employee organization.