On December 30, 2025, Oxford County (County) filed with the Maine Labor Relations Board a petition for the Board to provide an interpretive ruling. The petition requests that the Board address whether, under the duty of fair representation, a union that was decertified in favor of another union retains any rights or obligations to enforce grievance arbitration provisions after decertification. Likewise, the County seeks clarification on what rights and obligations must be assured to the successor union. In short, if a grievance was pending at the time that one union was decertified in favor of another, which union is ultimately responsible for processing that grievance?
Chapter 12, Section 41 of the MLRB’s Procedural Rules address the processing of a petition for interpretive ruling. Per the rule, any individual or party may provide a written memorandum to the Board addressing the subject of the County’s petition. See Chapter 12, Section 41(6). Any such memorandum must be e-filed with the Board by January 23, 2026, via email to mlrb@maine.gov. Please use the following case caption for any related filings: Oxford County and Oxford County Sheriff’s Office Association and Teamsters Local Union No. 340, Case No. 26-IR-01.