Representatives designated or selected for the purpose of formal representation by the majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for such purposes shall be the exclusive representatives of all employees in such unit for the purpose of representation in respect to rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment; provided that salary increases for Board of Regents' faculty and exempt staff may only be distributed to address institutional priorities, program needs, performance meeting or exceeding expectations, or internal or external market considerations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any individual employee, or a group of employees, shall have the right at any time to present grievances to their employer and to have such grievances adjusted without the intervention of the formal representative as long as the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of any settlement with the formal representative then in effect; provided that the formal representative has been given opportunity to be present at such adjustment.
SDCL 3-18-3