When used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. “Arbitration” means the procedure whereby the parties involved in an impasse submit
their differences to a third party for a final and binding decision or as provided in this chapter.
2. “Board” means the employment appeal board established under section 10A.601.
3. a. “Confidential employee” means any public employee who works in the personnel
offices of a public employer or who has access to information subject to use by the public
employer in negotiating or who works in a close continuing working relationship with public
officers or representatives associated with negotiating on behalf of the public employer.
b. “Confidential employee” also includes the personal secretary of any of the following:
(1) Any elected official or person appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office.
(2) A member of any board or commission.
(3) The administrative officer, director, or chief executive officer of a public employer or
major division thereof.
(4) The deputy or first assistant of any of the persons described in subparagraphs (1)
through (3).
4. “Employee organization” means an organization of any kind in which public employees
participate and which exists for the primary purpose of representing employees in their
employment relations.
5. “Governing body” means the board, council, or commission, whether elected or
appointed, of a political subdivision of this state, including school districts and other special
purpose districts, which determines the policies for the operation of the political subdivision.
6. “Impasse” means the failure of a public employer and the employee organization to
reach agreement in the course of negotiations.
7. “Mediation” means assistance by an impartial third party to reconcile an impasse
between the public employer and the employee organization through interpretation,
suggestion, and advice.
8. “Professional employee” means any one of the following:
a. Any employee engaged in work to which all of the following apply:
(1) The work is predominantly intellectual and varied in character as opposed to routine
mental, manual, mechanical or physical work.
(2) The work involves the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its
performance.
(3) The work is of such a character that the output produced or the result accomplished
cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of time.
(4) The work requires knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning
customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study
in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic
education or from an apprenticeship or from training in the performance of routine mental,
manual, or physical processes.
b. Any employee to whom all of the following apply:
(1) The employee has completed the courses of specialized intellectual instruction and
study described in paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4).
(2) The employee is performing related work under the supervision of a professional\n\nTue Dec 09 22:32:26 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 20 (35, 0)
3 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS (COLLECTIVE BARGAINING), §20.4\n\nperson to qualify the employee to become a professional employee as defined in paragraph
“a”.
9. “Public employee” means any individual employed by a public employer, except
individuals exempted under the provisions of section 20.4.
10. “Public employer” means the state of Iowa, its boards, commissions, agencies,
departments, and its political subdivisions including school districts and other special
purpose districts.
11. “Public safety employee” means a public employee who is employed as one of the
following:
a. A sheriff’s regular deputy.
b. A marshal or police officer of a city, township, or special-purpose district or authority
who is a member of a paid police department.
c. A member, except a non-peace officer member, of the division of state patrol, narcotics
enforcement, state fire marshal, or criminal investigation, including but not limited to a
gaming enforcement officer, who has been duly appointed by the department of public safety
in accordance with section 80.15.
d. A conservation officer or park ranger as authorized by section 456A.13.
e. A permanent or full-time fire fighter of a city, township, or special-purpose district or
authority who is a member of a paid fire department.
f. A peace officer designated by the department of transportation under section 321.477
who is subject to mandated law enforcement training.
12. “Strike” means a public employee’s refusal, in concerted action with others, to report
to duty, or a willful absence from the employee’s position, or a stoppage of work by the
employee, or the employee’s abstinence in whole or in part from the full, faithful, and
proper performance of the duties of employment, for the purpose of inducing, influencing,
or coercing a change in the conditions, compensation, rights, privileges, or obligations of
public employment.
13. “Supplemental pay” means a payment of moneys or other thing of value that is in
addition to compensation received pursuant to any other permitted subject of negotiation
specified in section 20.9 and is related to the employment relationship.
[C75, 77, 79, 81, §20.3]
2010 Acts, ch 1165, §3, 4; 2017 Acts, ch 2, §1, 26, 27; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §10; 2024 Acts, ch
1170, §172
Referred to in §8.5, 20.32, 22.7(69), 70A.19, 70A.41, 80.45A, 185.34, 235A.15, 400.18, 400.28, 602.11108
\n
Notes of Decisions
AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 928 N.W.2d 21 (Iowa 2019).
· cites it 36× “” Iowa Code § 20.3 (4). 4 Once employees selected a union, PERA required the union and public employer to bargain in good faith on these topics: wages, hours, vacations, insurance, holidays, leaves of absence, shift differentials, overtime compensation, supplemental pay,…”
Jackson Cnty. Pub. Hosp. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 280 N.W.2d 426 (Iowa 1979).
· cites it 8× “It is stipulated that the hospital is a public employer within the meaning of the Public Employment Relations Act, section 20.3(1), The Code. The hospital has, for a number of years, contracted with A.”
City of Mason City v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 316 N.W.2d 851 (Iowa 1982).
· cites it 14× “The issue in question arose in the course of contract negotiations between petitioner, a "public employer" pursuant to section 20.3(1), and intervenor, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers, Local Union No.”
Charles City Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 291 N.W.2d 663 (Iowa 1980).
· cites it 8× “3(4) representing the teachers, and the District, a "public employer" under section 20.3(1). The Association submitted for mandatory negotiation a proposal [1] regarding the nature of post graduate hours that would qualify and *665 educator for advancement along a district…”
Saydel Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 333 N.W.2d 486 (Iowa 1983).
· cites it 8× “3(4), and the Saydel Consolidated School District (district) is a public employer under section 20.3(1). During the parties' negotiation for a collective bargaining agreement for the 1981-82 school year, a disagreement arose concerning the district's proposed means to effect…”
Charles City Cmty. Sch. Dist. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 275 N.W.2d 766 (Iowa 1979).
· cites it 3× “Petitioner Charles City Community School District, a public employer within the meaning of § 20.3(1), has been engaged in collective bargaining with an "employee organization" within the meaning of § 20.”
King v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 334 N.W.2d 598 (Iowa 1983).
· cites it 2× “A master contract, or collective bargaining agreement, relating to the employees’ work year, existed between the District and the Carroll Education Association, an “employee organization” under Iowa Code section 20.3(4) of which petitioner was a member.”
Polk Cnty. Iowa v. Iowa State Appeal Bd., 330 N.W.2d 267 (Iowa 1983).
· cites it 2× “1868, an “employee organization” as defined in Iowa Code section 20.3(4) (1981), and on behalf of the members thereof who are Polk County employees.”
— Iowa Code § 20.3(1) — 10 cases
Jackson Cnty. Pub. Hosp. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 280 N.W.2d 426 (Iowa 1979).
“It is stipulated that the hospital is a public employer within the meaning of the Public Employment Relations Act, section 20.3(1), The Code. The hospital has, for a number of years, contracted with A.”
Charles City Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 291 N.W.2d 663 (Iowa 1980).
“3(4) representing the teachers, and the District, a "public employer" under section 20.3(1). The Association submitted for mandatory negotiation a proposal [1] regarding the nature of post graduate hours that would qualify and *665 educator for advancement along a district…”
Saydel Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 333 N.W.2d 486 (Iowa 1983).
“3(4), and the Saydel Consolidated School District (district) is a public employer under section 20.3(1). During the parties' negotiation for a collective bargaining agreement for the 1981-82 school year, a disagreement arose concerning the district's proposed means to effect…”
Charles City Cmty. Sch. Dist. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 275 N.W.2d 766 (Iowa 1979).
“Petitioner Charles City Community School District, a public employer within the meaning of § 20.3(1), has been engaged in collective bargaining with an "employee organization" within the meaning of § 20.”
— Iowa Code § 20.3(10) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 20.3(11) — 3 cases
— Iowa Code § 20.3(3) — 5 cases
Jackson Cnty. Pub. Hosp. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 280 N.W.2d 426 (Iowa 1979).
“It is stipulated that the hospital is a public employer within the meaning of the Public Employment Relations Act, section 20.3(1), The Code. The hospital has, for a number of years, contracted with A.”
City of Mason City v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 316 N.W.2d 851 (Iowa 1982).
“The issue in question arose in the course of contract negotiations between petitioner, a "public employer" pursuant to section 20.3(1), and intervenor, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers, Local Union No.”
— Iowa Code § 20.3(4) — 18 cases
Charles City Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 291 N.W.2d 663 (Iowa 1980).
“3(4) representing the teachers, and the District, a "public employer" under section 20.3(1). The Association submitted for mandatory negotiation a proposal [1] regarding the nature of post graduate hours that would qualify and *665 educator for advancement along a district…”
City of Mason City v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 316 N.W.2d 851 (Iowa 1982).
“The issue in question arose in the course of contract negotiations between petitioner, a "public employer" pursuant to section 20.3(1), and intervenor, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers, Local Union No.”
Saydel Educ. Ass'n v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 333 N.W.2d 486 (Iowa 1983).
“3(4), and the Saydel Consolidated School District (district) is a public employer under section 20.3(1). During the parties' negotiation for a collective bargaining agreement for the 1981-82 school year, a disagreement arose concerning the district's proposed means to effect…”
King v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 334 N.W.2d 598 (Iowa 1983).
“A master contract, or collective bargaining agreement, relating to the employees’ work year, existed between the District and the Carroll Education Association, an “employee organization” under Iowa Code section 20.3(4) of which petitioner was a member.”
Polk Cnty. Iowa v. Iowa State Appeal Bd., 330 N.W.2d 267 (Iowa 1983).
“1868, an “employee organization” as defined in Iowa Code section 20.3(4) (1981), and on behalf of the members thereof who are Polk County employees.”
— Iowa Code § 20.3(8)(b) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 20.3(9) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 20.3(b) — 2 cases
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.