Section 1200.10  Definitions

The definitions contained in Section 3 of the Act shall apply to this Part, as well as the following:

"Act" means the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act [5 ILCS 315].

"Administrative Law Judge" means an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois who is authorized by the Board to conduct hearings and write recommended decisions and orders.

"Administrative Law Judge's recommended decision and order" means findings of fact and conclusions of law and reasons for those findings and conclusions.  It is not a final decision of the Board.  Such a recommended decision and order will be reviewed by the Board upon the filing of exceptions or on the Board's own motion.

"Board" means the Illinois Labor Relations Board or State or Local Panel, individually as applicable, or an agent designated by the Board.

"Board agent" means any Board employee who is designated by the Board to perform the acts and/or responsibilities outlined in the relevant sections of the rules.

"Charging party" means the person, employer or labor organization filing an unfair labor practice charge.

"Complaint" means a Board document issued to the parties in an unfair labor practice proceeding, notifying them of a hearing and setting forth the issues of fact or law to be resolved at the hearing.

"Employer" means "public employer" or "employer" as defined in Section 3(o) of the Act or the party named in a representation petition, unit clarification petition, decertification petition or voluntary recognition petition as the employer of the unit described in the petition.

"Exclusive representative" means "exclusive representative" as defined in Section 3(f) of the Act.

"Executive Director's Order" includes reports concerning challenges and objections to an election; deferrals to arbitration; orders holding cases in abeyance; dismissals; directions of election; and other similar orders. These orders are not final decisions of the Board but are the results of investigations.  The Board, upon the filing of an appeal, shall review such orders except that orders and parts of orders finding sufficient issues of law and fact sufficient to warrant a hearing are not appealable.

"Fact-finding" means a process whereby an employer and an exclusive representative submit their disputes concerning the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement to a neutral third party for non-binding findings of fact and recommendations.

"General public employee unit" means any bargaining unit of employees who, because they are not subject to Section 14 of the Act, have the right to strike in accordance with Section 17 of the Act.

"Grievance arbitration" means a process whereby an employer and an exclusive representative submit a dispute concerning the interpretation or application of an existing collective bargaining agreement to a neutral third party for resolution.

"Grievance mediation" means a process whereby an employer and an exclusive representative employ a neutral third party to communicate with the parties and endeavor to bring about an amicable, voluntary resolution of a dispute over the interpretation or application of an existing collective bargaining agreement.

"Incumbent exclusive representative" means the existing exclusive representative of the employees in the bargaining unit.

"Initial contract" means a first collective bargaining agreement between an exclusive representative and an employer, covering a bargaining unit, following certification of that exclusive representative.

"Interest arbitration" means a process in which an employer and an exclusive representative submit their disputes concerning the terms to be included in a new collective bargaining agreement for resolution by a neutral third party. "Compulsory interest arbitration" shall refer to interest arbitration engaged in pursuant to Section 14 of the Act.  "Voluntary interest arbitration" shall refer to all other interest arbitration engaged in under the Act.

"Labor organization" means "labor organization" as defined in Section 3(i) of the Act.

"Mediation" means a process whereby an employer and an exclusive representative employ a neutral third party to communicate with the parties and endeavor to bring about an amicable, voluntary resolution of negotiations over the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement.

"Petitioner" means the party named in a representation petition, unit clarification petition, decertification petition or voluntary recognition petition as having filed the petition.

"Protective services unit" means any bargaining unit subject to Section 14 of the Act in which the employees accordingly do not have the right to strike.  Such units are units of security employees of a public employer, peace officer units, or units of firefighters or paramedics. (Section 14(a) of the Act)

"Representation petition" means either a traditional representation petition to determine a union's majority support through an election (election petition) as set forth in Section 9(a)(1) and (2) of the Act or a petition filed pursuant to the Board's card check procedures (majority interest petition) as set forth in Section 9(a-5) of the Act.

"Respondent" means the party named in an unfair labor practice charge or complaint as having allegedly committed the unfair labor practice.

"Successor contract" means negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement covering a bargaining unit that is currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the exclusive representative and the employer.  

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 18010, effective December 5, 2024)