Rhode Island General Laws Title 28. Labor and Labor Relations § 28-9.3-9. Unresolved issues submitted to mediation or arbitration

(a) In the event that the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee are unable, within thirty (30) days from and including the date of their first meeting, to reach an agreement on a contract, either of them may request mediation and conciliation upon any and all unresolved issues by the director of labor and training or from any other source. If mediation and conciliation fail or are not requested, at any time after the thirty (30) days, either party may request that any and all unresolved issues shall be submitted to arbitration by sending the request by certified mail postage prepaid to the other party, setting forth the issues to be arbitrated.

(b) In the event that the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee are unable to reach an agreement on a contract thirty (30) days before the last day on which money can be appropriated by the city and town to cover the first year of the contract period, any and all unresolved issues shall be submitted to the director of labor and training for compulsory mediation until the date upon which the money is scheduled to be appropriated. The director of labor and training or his or her designee may waive this requirement upon the mutual agreement of the parties.

(c) In the event that the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee are unable within ten (10) days of the scheduled close of school in June of the last year of the contract in effect to reach an agreement on a contract, any and all unresolved issues shall be submitted to the director of labor and training for compulsory mediation.

(d) If the parties cannot mutually agree upon a mediator within twenty- four (24) hours, the director of labor and training shall select a mediator from a panel previously established by the director comprised of persons knowledgeable in the field of labor management relations to mediate the dispute. The department of labor and training is empowered to compel the attendance of all the parties to any and all meetings it deems necessary until the dispute is resolved.

(e) For any mediation pertaining to unresolved issues that are submitted to compulsory mediation between the negotiating or bargaining agent and the school committee, pursuant to the provisions of this section, the state shall pay up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) of the cost of the mediation expenses. Any costs above five thousand dollars ($5,000) shall be shared equally between the bargaining unit and the school committee.