Either or both parties may request the Department to certify to the parties that the collective bargaining process, including mediation, fact-finding, or arbitration, if applicable, has been completed. If the Department determines that the dispute resolution mechanisms provided for in M.G.L. c. 150E, § 9 have been exhausted, it shall certify to the parties that the collective bargaining process has been completed.
456 CMR, § 21.18