Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 19-901.30

of labor rights - Violations - Arbitration.

A. The protection of the public health, safety and welfare

demands that the permanent members of any Rural Fire Protection

District not be accorded the right to strike or engage in any work

stoppage or slowdown. This necessary prohibition does not, however,

require the denial to such employees of other well-recognized rights

of labor such as the right to organize, to be represented by a

collective bargaining representative of their choice and the right

to bargain collectively concerning wages, hours and other terms and

conditions of employment; and such employees shall also have the

right to refrain from any and all such activities.

B. It is declared to be the public policy of this state to

accord to the full-time firefighters in a Rural Fire Protection

District all of the rights of labor, other than the right to strike

or to engage in any work stoppage or slowdown. Nothing in this act

shall constitute a grant of the right to strike to any full-time

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firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District and such strikes are

hereby prohibited. Unless otherwise provided by law, any person

holding such a position who, by concerted action with others and

without the lawful approval of the person’s superior, willfully

absents the person from his or her position or abstains in whole or

in part from the full, faithful and proper performance of such

person’s duties for the purpose of inducing, influencing or coercing

a change in the conditions or compensation, or the rights,

privileges or obligations of employment shall be deemed to be on

strike but the person, upon request, shall be entitled to a

determination as to whether he or she did violate the provisions of

this act. The request shall be filed in writing. The official or

body with whom the request is filed shall have the power to remove

or discipline such employee within ten (10) days after regular

compensation of such employee has ceased or other discipline has

been imposed. In the event of such request, the official or body

shall within ten (10) days after the receipt of such request

commence a proceeding for the determination of whether the

provisions of this act have been violated by the full-time

firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District, in accordance with

the law and regulations appropriate to a proceeding to remove a

full-time firefighter in a Rural Fire Protection District. The

proceedings shall be undertaken without unnecessary delay. The

decision of the proceeding shall be made within ten (10) days

following the conclusion of the hearing. If the employee involved

is held to have violated this act and his or her employment

terminated or other discipline imposed, the employee shall have the

right of review in the district court having jurisdiction of the

parties, within thirty (30) days from such decision, for

determination whether such decision is supported by competent,

material and substantial evidence on the whole record. To provide

for the exercise of these rights, a method of arbitration of

disputes is hereby established.

C. It is declared to be the public policy of the State of

Oklahoma that no person shall be discharged from or denied

employment as a member of any Rural Fire Protection District of this

state by reason of membership or nonmembership in, or the payment or

nonpayment of any dues, fees or other charges to, an organization of

such members for collective bargaining purposes as herein

contemplated.

D. The establishment of this method of arbitration shall not,

however, in any way whatever, be deemed to be a recognition by the

state of compulsory arbitration as a superior method of settling

labor disputes between employees who possess the right to strike and

their employers, but rather shall be deemed to be a recognition
members for collective bargaining purposes as herein

contemplated.

D. The establishment of this method of arbitration shall not,

however, in any way whatever, be deemed to be a recognition by the

state of compulsory arbitration as a superior method of settling

labor disputes between employees who possess the right to strike and

their employers, but rather shall be deemed to be a recognition

solely of the necessity to provide some alternative procedure for

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settling disputes where employees must, as a matter of public

policy, be denied the usual right to strike.