Bills affecting Union member / worker in Rhode Island (2026 session)

Beginning on July 1, 2026, allows state union employees to negotiate longevity payments in their collective bargaining agreements.

Repeals the law that prevents a collective bargaining agreement covering state employees, public school teachers and municipal employees from specifying a particular healthcare provider in it.

Creates a comprehensive statutory framework to address and regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, considering the interests of employers and employees.

Extends provisions of an existing collective bargaining agreement for municipal police arbitration purposes until a successor agreement is reached or an interest arbitration award is rendered.

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.

Provides for the right to strike for public sector workers in Rhode Island, including teachers, with exceptions for police officers, firefighters, 911 employees, and correctional officers.

Recognizes that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize binding arbitration and establishes new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors include comparisons of wages/hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs.

Establishes the commuter transportation benefit chapter. Employers with five hundred (500) or more employees required to establish a pre-tax commuter transportation fringe benefit program.

Allows unemployment benefits for workers who are on strike or are locked out of their workplaces by their employer due to a labor dispute.

Effective January 1, 2028, Increases the hourly minimum wage in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region for the previous four (4) fiscal years.

Enables employees to no longer have to utilize sick leave, vacation leave, personal leave or other paid time off as a condition to their maternity leave.

Prohibits an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or employee, to commit any act declared to be an unlawful employment practice; individuals would be held personally liable for such conduct.

Sets the minimum wage for 2027 at twenty dollars ($20) per hour.

Increases the minimum hourly wage commencing January 1, 2029, by an amount equal to the total percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Northeast Region for the calendar year 2027.

Requires all health care workers who are employed on any Sunday or holiday, to be compensated at the rate of time and one-half.

Amends the workers' compensation reimbursement provisions related to the liability of third person for damages.

Mandates any contract for capital improvements at any healthcare facility adhere to the requirements of chapter 13 of title 37.

Makes construction contractors civilly liable and/or jointly civilly liable for any claims of wage theft or nonpayment from an employee against the contractor, its subcontractors and any subcontractor.

Establishes an opportunity for employee ownership where the owner notifies all current full-time and part-time employees and provides them with a 30-day window in which to initiate a process to potentially purchase the business as a workers' cooperative.

Prohibits employers from seeking/using credit reports in making hiring decisions concerning prospective employees, asking questions about the applicant's financial past during interviews or including credit history questions in their job applications.