MEET AND CONFER TEAM; NEGOTIATIONS

(a) A meet and confer team is created under this section and consists of the following members: (1) members representing the firefighter employee groups in the municipality, provided each group may appoint only one firefighter of the municipality to serve as a member of the team; and (2) members representing the police officer employee groups in the municipality, provided each group may appoint only one police officer of the municipality to serve as a member of the team. (b) The meet and confer team represents all firefighters and police officers in the municipality and shall negotiate with the municipality in an effort to reach an agreement on concerns shared by the firefighters and police officers regarding terms of employment, including concerns relating to wages, benefits, and other working conditions but excluding concerns relating to pensions. Only the meet and confer team created under this section may represent the firefighters or police officers of the municipality in the capacity described by this subsection, except that the team may be accompanied by legal counsel. (c) Concerns relating to affirmative action, employment discrimination, hiring, and promotions may be discussed by individual firefighter and police officer associations independent of the meet and confer team. (d) Expenses associated with the meet and confer team must be divided pro rata among each firefighter employee group and police officer employee group based on the number of sworn fire or police department members represented by each group. (e) A municipality may designate one or more persons to meet and confer on the municipality's behalf.