Provides that all contractual provisions in a firefighters collective bargaining agreement continue until a successor agreement has been reached or an interest arbitration award has been rendered.

## Summary of the Bill

This bill would ensure that when a contract between firefighters and their employer (typically a city or town) expires, all the terms and conditions of that contract remain in effect until a new agreement is reached. Currently, when a collective bargaining agreement runs out, there can be uncertainty about whether certain provisions — such as pay rates, benefits, work schedules, and other workplace rules — still apply. This bill would eliminate that uncertainty by keeping everything in the existing contract in place during negotiations.

The protections would last until one of two things happens: either the firefighters' union and the employer successfully negotiate a new contract, or an arbitrator issues a binding decision to resolve their disagreements. Interest arbitration is a process where a neutral third party steps in to settle unresolved issues when the two sides can't reach an agreement on their own.

This bill primarily affects firefighters and their unions across Rhode Island, as well as the cities and towns that employ them. For firefighters, it provides stability and reassurance that their wages, benefits, and working conditions won't be reduced or disrupted while a new contract is being worked out. For municipalities, it means they would be required to continue honoring all existing contract terms during what can sometimes be lengthy negotiation periods, even after the original agreement has technically expired. The bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and referred to the House Labor Committee for consideration.