2018 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 31 - Labor
Chapter 557 - Employment Regulation
Section 31-57e - Contracts between the state and federally recognized Indian tribes. Employment Rights Code; protection of persons employed by a tribe.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Commercial enterprise” means any form of commercial conduct or a particular commercial transaction or act, including the operation of a casino, which relates to or is connected with any profit-making pursuit;

(2) “Labor organization” means any organization which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment;

(3) “Tribe” means any federally recognized Indian tribe which is subject to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, P.L. 100-497, 25 USC 2701 et seq.

(b) The state shall not provide any funds or services which directly or indirectly assist any tribe engaged in a commercial enterprise until the tribe adopts an Employment Rights Code established pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, unless such funds or services are (1) required by federal or state law, (2) were agreed to in writing prior to July 1, 1993, or (3) are provided to a project which is covered by federal or state employment regulations or employment rights laws. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the state from enforcing any civil or criminal law, or any gaming regulation at a commercial enterprise owned or operated by a tribe, or to require the state to enforce a violation of any criminal law which would not be a violation if it occurred outside tribal land. The Governor, upon consulting with the leaders of the General Assembly, may waive the restrictions set forth in this subsection in the event of a declared emergency.

(c) The state shall oppose any application by a tribe, pursuant to 25 CFR chapter 151, to convert any parcel of fee interest land to federal trust status. The conversion shall be deemed contrary to the interest of the state and its residents.

(d) The Governor shall include in each future proposal by the state in negotiations conducted pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a provision requiring the adoption of an Employment Rights Code established pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. The Governor shall employ his best efforts to ensure that any final agreement, compact or contract established under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act includes an Employment Rights Code in accordance with subsection (e) of this section.

(e) The Employment Rights Code referred to under this section shall include the following provisions:

(1) A commercial enterprise subject to tribal jurisdiction shall not, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, refuse to hire or employ or bar or discharge from employment any individual or discriminate against him or her in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the individual's race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, present or past history of mental disorder, intellectual disability, sexual orientation, learning or physical disability, political activity, union activity or the exercise of rights protected by the United States Constitution. This subdivision shall not be construed to restrict the right of a tribe to give preference in hiring to members of the tribe.

(2) A commercial enterprise subject to tribal jurisdiction shall not deny any individual, including a representative of a labor organization, seeking to ensure compliance with this section, access to employees of the tribe's commercial enterprise during nonwork time in nonwork areas. The tribe shall not permit any supervisor, manager or other agent of the tribe to restrict or otherwise interfere with such access.

(3) When a labor organization claims that it has been designated or selected for the purposes of collective bargaining by the majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for such purposes, the labor organization may apply to an arbitrator to verify the claim pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection. If the arbitrator verifies that the labor organization has been designated or selected as the bargaining representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit, the tribe shall, upon request, recognize the labor organization as the exclusive bargaining agent and bargain in good faith with the labor organization in an effort to reach a collective bargaining agreement. However, the arbitrator shall disallow any claim by a labor organization that is dominated or controlled by the tribe.

(4) (A) Any individual or organization claiming to be injured by a violation of any provision of this subsection shall have the right to seek binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such individual or organization shall file a demand for arbitration with the tribe not later than one hundred eighty days after the employee or labor organization knows or should know of the tribe's violation of any provision of this subsection. The demand shall state, in plain language, the facts giving rise to the demand.

(B) The demand for arbitration shall also be served upon the Connecticut office of the American Arbitration Association. Absent settlement, a hearing shall be held in accordance with the rules and procedures of the American Arbitration Association. The costs and fees of the arbitrator shall be shared equally by the tribe and the labor organization.

(C) The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on both parties and shall be subject to judicial review and enforcement against all parties in the manner prescribed by chapter 909.

(5) A tribe shall not retaliate against any individual who exercises any right under the Employment Rights Code. Any individual or organization claiming to be injured by a violation of the provisions of this section shall have the right to seek binding arbitration pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Governor may negotiate an agreement with a tribe which establishes rights for employees of commercial enterprises subject to tribal jurisdiction in addition to those provided under the Employment Rights Code established under subsection (e) of this section.

(P.A. 93-365, S. 1–6; P.A. 11-55, S. 16; P.A. 13-139, S. 31.)

History: P.A. 93-365 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 11-55 amended Subsec. (e)(1) to prohibit discrimination on basis of gender identity or expression; P.A. 13-139 amended Subsec. (e) by substituting “intellectual disability” for “mental retardation” and making a technical change in Subdiv. (1), and making a technical change in Subdiv. (3).