R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-7-14: Exclusive representation of employees.

Representatives designated or selected for the purposes of collective bargaining by the majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for those purposes, or by the majority of the employees voting in an election conducted pursuant to §§ 28-7-15 — 28-7-19, shall be the exclusive representatives of all the employees in the appropriate unit for the purposes of collective bargaining in respect to rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment; provided, that employees, directly or through representatives, shall have the right at any time to present grievances to their employer.