Sec. 142.103. PETITION FOR RECOGNITION: ELECTION OR ACTION BY GOVERNING BODY. (a) Not later than the 30th day after the date the governing body of a municipality receives from a firefighters association a petition signed by the majority of all firefighters, excluding the head of the fire department for the municipality and excluding the employees exempt under Section 142.108(b), that requests recognition of the association as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all the firefighters employed by the municipality, excluding the head of the fire department for the municipality and excluding the exempt employees, the governing body shall:

(1) grant recognition of the association as requested in the petition and determine by majority vote regarding whether a public employer may meet and confer under this subchapter without conducting an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 142.105;

(2) defer granting recognition of the association and order an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 142.105 regarding whether a public employer may meet and confer under this subchapter; or

(3) order a certification election under Section 142.104 to determine whether the association represents a majority of the affected firefighters.

(b) If the governing body of a municipality orders a certification election under Subsection (a)(3) and the association named in the petition is certified to represent a majority of the affected firefighters of the municipality, the governing body shall, not later than the 30th day after the date that results of that election are certified:

(1) grant recognition of the association as requested in the petition for recognition and determine by majority vote that a public employer may meet and confer under this subchapter without conducting an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 142.105; or

(2) defer granting recognition of the association and order an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 142.105 regarding whether a public employer may meet and confer under this subchapter.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 262 (H.B. 2892), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005.