Ass'n of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board

661 A.2d 898, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 346
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 23, 1995
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 661 A.2d 898 (Ass'n of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ass'n of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, 661 A.2d 898, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 346 (Pa. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

SILVESTRI, Senior Judge.

A hearing examiner for the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) by decision and order dated April 5, 1995, dismissed an unfair labor practice charge by Association of Pennsylvania State College And University Faculties (APSCUF) against the State System of Higher Education (SSHE) “[b]eeause the charge is prematurely filed.”

APSCUF timely filed exceptions to the proposed decision and order of the hearing examiner. The PLRB, by order dated June 21, 1994, dismissed the exceptions of AP-SCUF and “made absolute and final” the proposed decision and order of the hearing examiner. This appeal by APSCUF timely followed.

The relevant factual and procedural history giving rise to this matter is as follows. APSCUF is the certified collective bargaining agent for two units of professional employees of SSHE at the state universities of Pennsylvania which include, among others, all department chairmen, full time and part time teaching faculty and faculty members whose basic responsibilities lie outside the classroom setting, i.e., administration.

Despite the opposition of APSCUF, the Board of Governors of SSHE at its quarterly meeting on April 22,1993 adopted a policy on Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator, as herein relevant, as follows:

Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator

A. Purpose
The purpose of the State System of Higher Education Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator is to allow the University/System and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to continue to benefit from an eligible individual’s skill and experience as a teacher, researcher, or administrator, subsequent to significant service as a senior policy executive of the State System.
C. Duties and Responsibilities
A Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator’s specific duties and responsibilities are to be determined on an individual basis by the Board of Governors in consultation with the chancellor and the individual involved; if the chancellor is a candidate, then consultation occurs with the chancellor only. When the duties involve a specific campus assignment, the president and the appropriate academic/administrative department of the institution also will be consulted by the Board of Governors.
[900]*900D. Salary and Conditions of Appointment
1. The salary and other terms and conditions of employment of a Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator will be established by the Board of Governors, except that the salary will be computed at a rate of 66.6 percent of the individual’s salary at the time of appointment to a position covered by this policy for a nine month appointment. Benefits provided will be those afforded under the Management Benefits Plan.
2. Following appointment as a Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator, an individual will be eligible for salary increments only as periodically determined by the Board of Governors.
E. Effective Date
This policy is to be effective for persons appointed to eligible positions and for persons whose contracts are extended in eligible positions, subsequent to adoption by the Board of Governors.
F. Implementation
This policy requires implementation procedures. In so far as terms and conditions of employment in certain bargaining units are impacted, the chancellor is directed to negotiate implementation procedures with the appropriate bargaining agents.
(R.R. 130a-131a.)

On May 3, 1993, APSCUF filed with the PLRB a charge of unfair labor practice, as amended May 27, 1993, against SSHE, alleging that “unfair labor practices occurred when the employer unilaterally created a new classification of employees ... and assigned to them work performed by the AP-SCUF bargaining unit, and granted them faculty rank, a benefit of employment that may be granted only to members of AP-SCUF bargaining unit, and other terms and conditions of employment without negotiation with APSCUF.”

The hearing examiner found as a fact (FOF 8) that James H. McCoimick, by letter dated April 26, 1993, informed Dr. James W. White, President of APSCUF, as follows:

Dr. James W. White President
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties 319 North Front Street P.O. Box 11995 Harrisburg, PA 17108 Dear Dr. White (Jim):
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the policy on Commonwealth Professor, Researcher or Administrator adopted by the Board of Governors at its quarterly meeting on April 22, 1993, at California University of Pennsylvania.
Section F of this policy requires that implementation procedures be negotiated with appropriate bargaining agents. In these matters, Vice Chancellor Kelley will serve as my designee. So that discussion about the procedures may be opened, please advise Mr. Kelley’s office (717-783-2329) regarding dates and times you will be ready to initiate this process.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
(R.R. 129a.)

The hearing examiner also made the following findings of fact:

9. That APSCUF did not contact Mr. Kelley to negotiate over the implementation of the policy. (N.T. 16-17, 30)
10. That no one has applied to SSHE for a position under the policy. (N.T. 33, 37-38)
(Appendix A Brief of Appellant.)

In its appeal here, APSCUF argues (1) that SSHE committed an unfair labor practice by adopting, without bargaining with APSCUF, a policy which authorized the SSHE to assign bargaining unit work to non-bargaining unit members; (2) the unfair labor practice charge was not premature, as the Board held, because the adoption of the policy itself constituted an unfair labor practice. However, even if the adoption of the policy did not automatically constitute an unfair labor practice, the Board improperly refused to perform its statutory duty to prevent unfair labor practices by dismissing AP-SCUF’s charge on the ground that it was premature because bargaining unit work had [901]*901not yet been taken away; (3) the Board erred in failing to require the SSHE to meet and discuss the policy prior to implementing it when the policy obviously affected the wages, hours, terms and conditions of the bargaining unit employees.

Our scope of review is limited to determining whether the findings of the PLRB are supported by substantial evidence, and whether there has been a constitutional violation or an error of law committed. Harbaugh v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, 107 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 406, 528 A.2d 1024 (1987). APSCUF does not herein allege a constitutional violation nor contest the findings of the PLRB; thus, our review is solely concentrated upon the legal conclusions of the PLRB. See, Abington Transportation Ass’n v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, 131 Pa.Commonwealth Ct.

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661 A.2d 898, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/assn-of-pennsylvania-state-college-university-faculties-v-pennsylvania-pacommwct-1995.