SECTION 11U. Violations of apprentice agreement; investigation; rules; hearings; notice; appeals

(a) The division, upon the complaint of an interested person or upon its own initiative, may investigate and determine whether there has been a violation of the terms of an apprentice agreement, and may hold hearings, inquiries and other proceedings necessary to the investigations and determination, provided that the apprentice filing a complaint has exhausted the procedures established pursuant to section 11K. All hearings, investigations and determinations of apprentice agreements shall be made under authority of reasonable rules and procedure prescribed by the director.

(b) The division shall not be required to hold hearings in matters confined solely to identifiable apprentice agreements, which the division may deregister at any time during the period of apprenticeship if it determines appropriate.

(c) The determination of the deputy director shall be filed with the director and notice of the determination shall, at the same time, be mailed, postage prepaid, to each person known by the division to be an interested person, at the last address as shown by the records of the division. If no appeal is filed with the deputy director within 10 business days after the date of the filing and notice, the determination shall become the decision of the director.

A person aggrieved by a determination or action of the deputy director may, within the time allowed, appeal to the director, who shall hold a hearing after due notice to all interested parties. A party to an apprentice program aggrieved by an order or decision of the director may appeal to the superior court; provided, however, that the order or decision shall be conclusive if the appeal is not filed within 30 days after the date of the order or decision. The order or decision shall be reviewed in accordance with the standards for review provided in section 14 of chapter 30A.

No person shall institute an action for the enforcement or deregistration of any apprentice agreement until after the person has exhausted all administrative remedies provided by this section.

(d) The deputy director may reinstate the registration of an apprentice agreement in its discretion upon presentation of adequate evidence that the condition that gave rise to the deregistration has been remedied.