SECTION 1.  Subsection (a) of section 7 of chapter 150E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “years”, in line 3, the following words:- ; provided, however, that the employer and the exclusive representative through negotiation may agree to include a provision in a collective bargaining agreement stating that the agreement’s terms shall remain in full force and effect beyond the 3 years until a successor agreement is voluntarily negotiated by the parties.

SECTION 2.  Section 1 shall apply to any collective bargaining agreement that: (i) contained a provision stating that the terms of the agreement remain in full force and effect beyond 3 years while the parties negotiate a successor agreement and (ii) expired before the effective date of this act; provided, however, its application to specific matters may be prohibited under section 3.

SECTION 3.  Section 2 shall not apply to specific matters that were pending or adjudicated in a court of competent jurisdiction between October 22, 2010, and November 1, 2011; provided, however, that an agreement that has been the subject of such specific matters shall be in full force and effect for other specific matters if the agreement: (i) contained a provision stating that the terms of the agreement remain in full force and effect beyond 3 years while the parties negotiate a successor agreement and (ii) expired before the effective date of this act.