Pub. Util. Code, § 99564.1

The transit district employer shall grant a request for recognition filed pursuant to Section 99564 except in one of the following circumstances:

(a) The employer reasonably doubts that the employee organization has majority support or reasonably doubts the appropriateness of the requested unit. In that case the employer shall notify the board which shall conduct a representation election pursuant to Section 99564.4 unless subdivision (c) or (d) applies.

(b) Another employee organization either files with the employer a challenge to the appropriateness of the unit or submits a competing claim of representation within 15 workdays of the posting of notice of the written request. If the claim is evidenced by the support that at least 30 percent of the members of the proposed unit, a question of representation shall be deemed to exist and the board shall conduct a representation election pursuant to Section 99564.4, or if the claim is evidenced by the support of at least 10 percent of the members of the proposed unit, the board shall conduct inquiries and investigations or hold hearings that it deems necessary in order to decide the questions raised by the claim and may conduct a representation election pursuant to Section 99564.4. Evidence of that support shall be submitted to either the board or to a mutually agreed upon third party.

(c) There is currently in effect a lawful written memorandum of understanding between the employer and another employee organization recognized or certified as the exclusive representative of any employees included in the unit described in the request for recognition, unless the request for recognition is filed not more than 120 days and not less than 90 days prior to the expiration date of such memorandum of understanding. However, if a memorandum of understanding has been in effect for three years or more, there shall be no restriction as to the time of filing the request.

(d) Within the previous 12 months either another employee organization has been lawfully recognized or certified as the exclusive representative of any employees included in the unit described in the request for recognition, or a majority of the votes cast in a representation election held pursuant to Section 99564.4 were cast for “no representation.”