For any county with a metropolitan form of government that has adopted a labor policy establishing the right of its employees to join an employee organization and that has a procedure for establishing exclusive representation status of an employee organization, an employee may be represented before any board, agency, civil service commission, hearing officer, or other body empowered to impose discipline or otherwise deal with wages, hours, and working conditions of employees by a representative from the employee organization that has been designated as the exclusive representative for such employees. Any such employee shall be entitled to select a spokesperson or representative for the purpose of providing aid and assistance in any proceeding before any such board, agency, commission, hearing officer, or entity, notwithstanding any other code section to the contrary. Such assistance or representation by a member or employee of the exclusive representative for such employee shall not be considered “law practice” or “law business” as may be defined in the Tennessee Code Annotated. Such representation does not include representation in any court of law, or in any judicial proceeding. Nothing in this section prevents such employee from being represented by an attorney if the employee or the exclusive representative so chooses.
Structure 2021 Tennessee Code