Maine § 903. - Authorization for alternative working hours employment

§ 903.. Authorization for alternative working hours employment

1.  Employees in collective bargaining units.  The Governor, or the Governor's designee who negotiates a collective bargaining agreement, may bargain and conclude agreements pursuant to Title 26, chapter 9‑B that include provisions for alternative working hours employment. Notwithstanding any other state law, an agreement with any such provision must provide for the proration of any benefits, including retirement benefits, made available to a person employed for job-sharing and part-time employment, if that proration is not prohibited by federal law.

2.  Employees not in collective bargaining units.  The State Human Resources Officer shall adopt rules to implement alternative working hours employment for persons who are not in collective bargaining units. Notwithstanding any other state law, any such rules shall provide for the proration of any benefits, including retirement benefits, made available to a person employed for job-sharing and part-time employment, provided that the proration is not prohibited by federal law.

3.  Further authority.  Any appropriation for personal services, allocation or other resource made available to an account may be used during the biennium to carry out the intent of this section. For the purpose of complying with any appropriation or allocation, one full-time position shared by more than one person shall be considered one full-time position. Continued funding of these costs shall be requested as current services in accordance with chapter 149.

4.  Prohibition.  Positions listed in chapter 71 and in Title 2, section 6, may not be filled by persons employed under any job-sharing authority.

5.  Report.  The commissioner shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on State Government the state's progress in establishing alternative working hours. The report shall at a minimum contain a specific breakdown of the number of employees seeking and the number of employees working alternative working hours employment by each category of such employment, the increase or decrease in the number of employees from the preceding year by each category, the number of persons over the age of 60 by each category of alternative working hours employment, an estimate of savings achieved or costs imposed and a narrative summary of the efforts taken by the State to encourage the development of alternative working hours employment.