Butler Davis v. Local 2033

Montana Supreme Court

Butler Davis v. Local 2033

DecidedFebruary 6, 1980

Docket14883

StatusPublished

This text of Butler Davis v. Local 2033 (Butler Davis v. Local 2033) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Butler Davis v. Local 2033, (Mo. 1980).

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Opinion

No. 14883 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1980

DONALD E. BUTLER: DONALD W. DAVIS et al., Intervening Plaintiffs and Appellants,

LOCAL 2033 M R I C A N FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES et al., Petitioner and Counter-Respondent and Respondent, VS . BUTTE-SILVER BOW et al., Respondents, Counter-Petitioners and Respondents.

Appeal from: District Court of the Second Judicial District, Honorable Peter G. Meloy, Judge presiding Counsel of Record: For Appellants: Knight, Dahood, Mackay and McLean, Anaconda, Montana Bernard J. Everett argued, Anaconda, Montana For Petitioner and Counter-Respondent and Respondent: M.F. Hennessey argued, Butte, Montana For Respondents, Counter-Petitioners and Respondents: John G. Winston, County Attorney, Butte, Montana Robert M. McCarthy, Deputy County Attorney, argued, Butte, Montana

Submitted: January 14, 1980 Decided : FEB 6 - Filed: FEB F: - 1SRP Mr. J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly d e l i v e r e d t h e O p i n i o n o f t h e C o u r t .

his i s a n a p p e a l from a summary judgment i n f a v o r o f

r e s p o n d e n t s B u t t e - S i l v e r Bow and t h e "Union" i s s u e d by t h e

D i s t r i c t C o u r t o f t h e Second J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , s i t t i n g i n

t h e County o f S i l v e r Bow.

On F e b r u a r y 22, 1 9 7 8 , r e s p o n d e n t L o c a l 2033 American

F e d e r a t i o n o f S t a t e , County a n d M u n i c i p a l Employees, AFL-CIO

( U n i o n ) , f i l e d a p e t i t i o n and c o m p l a i n t f o r d e c l a r a t o r y

judgment i n t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t o f t h e Second J u d i c i a l D i s -

t r i c t , i n a n d f o r t h e County o f S i v e r BOW, S t a t e o f Montana.

This a c t i o n w a s brought a g a i n s t respondents Butte-Silver

Bow, S t a t e o f Montana, and s o u g h t a d e c l a r a t o r y judgment

i n t e r p r e t i n g c e r t a i n p r o v i s i o n s o f t h e newly formed c o n s o l i -

d a t e d C i t y and County government o f B u t t e - S i l v e r BOW, Montana,

d e a l i n g w i t h p r o m o t i o n s i n t h e S h e r i f f s Department p r i o r t o

o r during consolidation.

On May 1 7 , 1978, B u t t e - S i l v e r Bow f i l e d i t s answer t o

t h e p e t i t i o n b r o u g h t by t h e Union a l o n g w i t h a c o u n t e r -

complaint.

On J a n u a r y 1 7 , 1979, t h e u n i o n and B u t t e - S i l v e r Bow

s t i p u l a t e d and a g r e e d t o d e c l a r e n u l l and v o i d p r o m o t i o n t o

h i g h e r r a n k s w i t h i n t h e S i l v e r Bow County S h e r i f f s Department

r e c e i v e d by i n t e r v e n i n g p l a i n t i f f s / a p p e l l a n t s , Donald E.

B u t l e r , Donald W. D a v i s , F r e d E. Guay, H e r b e r t R. M i l l e r ,

Raymond W. R u s s e l l a n d G a l e E. Wood ( " S h e r i f f ' s O f f i c e r s " ) .

The D i s t r i c t C o u r t e n t e r e d a p r o p o s e d o r d e r b a s e d upon

t h i s s t i p u l a t i o n d e c l a r i n g t h e p r o m o t i o n s r e c e i v e d by t h e

S h e r i f f ' s O f f i c e r s n u l l a n d v o i d and f u r t h e r o r d e r i n g t h e

S h e r i f f ' s O f f i c e r s among o t h e r s t o a p p e a r b e f o r e t h e c o u r t t o show c a u s e why t h e o r d e r s h o u l d n o t become f i n a l .

The s h e r i f f ' s O f f i c e r s moved t h e c o u r t p u r s u a n t t o Rule

2 4 ( a ) ( 2 ) M.R.Civ.P. t o i n t e r v e n e i n t h e a c t i o n ; t h i s motion

w a s g r a n t e d and a c o m p l a i n t i n i n t e r v e n t i o n was f i l e d .

On A p r i l 1 9 , 1979, a l l t h e p a r t i e s moved f o r summary

judgment. The D i s t r i c t C o u r t i s s u e d i t s f i n d i n g s of f a c t

and c o n c l u s i o n s o f law and o r d e r on J u n e 11, 1979, d e c l a r i n g t h e S h e r i f f ' s O f f i c e r s ' promotions n u l l and v o i d . Appellant

o f f i c e r s bring t h i s appeal.

On A p r i l 1 2 , 1977, S h e r i f f George P a t r i c k Hagel, t h e

d u l y e l e c t e d , q u a l i f i e d and a c t i n g S h e r i f f of S i l v e r Bow

County promoted t h e s i x o f f i c e r s named h e r e i n t o h i g h e r

r a n k s w i t h i n t h a t Department. The promotions t h e y r e c e i v e d

were e i t h e r from d e p u t y t o s e r g e a n t o r s e r g e a n t t o l i e u t e n a n t

of t h e S i l v e r Bow County S h e r i f f s Department.

On May 2, 1977, t h e C i t y of B u t t e and County of S i l v e r

Bow c o n s o l i d a t e d t h e i r l o c a l governments i n t o one u n i f i e d

government under one c h a r t e r . The new government was t o

have t h e s t a t u s of a c o u n t y and i n c o r p o r a t e d m u n i c i p a l i t y

and was named B u t t e - S i l v e r BOW, Montana. The c h a r t e r had

been a d o p t e d by t h e v o t e r s on November 2 , 1976 and by i t s

t e r m s was n o t t o become e f f e c t i v e u n t i l May 2, 1977.

S e c t i o n 5.05 o f t h e Butte-Silver Bow C h a r t e r s e t f o r t h

t h e p r o v i s i o n s g o v e r n i n g t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n of t h e law e n f o r c e -

ment d e p a r t m e n t f o r t h e new government. The new law e n f o r c e -

ment d e p a r t m e n t was t o be formed by combining t h e former

C i t y o f B u t t e P o l i c e Department and t h e S h e r i f f s Department

of S i l v e r Bow County under t h e S h e r i f f of ~ u t t e - S i l v e r Bow.

Section 5.05 ( f ) provides a s follows: "The sheriff shall so organize the new department as to recognize the existing ranks attained by members of the exist- - police and sheriff departments." ing (Emphasis added.) Following their promotions the six appellant Sheriff's

Officers assumed the duties of their new ranks under the Silver Bow County Sheriffs Department. On May 2, 1977, the

effective date of the Butte-Silver Bow Charter, the new law enforcement department was organized and the six appellant Sheriff's Officers retained their ranks pursuant to section 5.05(f) of the new charter. On May 4, 1977, the Commissioners of the newly formed government of Butte-Silver Bow met and passed Emergency Ordinance No. 2 to govern the method of selection, examin- ation and confirmation of all appointments and promotions within the new law enforcement agency. Section 15 of the Emergency Ordinance provided it would become effective upon passage and approval. It was approved by Chief Executive Mario Micone on May 10, 1977. The District Court declared the promotion received by

the six appellant Sheriff's Officers null and void. The following issues have been presented to this Court

for review: 1. Did the District Court err in ruling that under

Section 5.05 (f) of the Butte-Silver Bow Charter, the pro- motions of appellants on April 11, 1977 were null and void? 2. Did the District Court err in ruling that Sheriff Hagel did not have authority to promote the appellant Sher- iff's Officers on April 11, 1977? The first step in resolving this case is to determine

the date the charter became operative. Then it becomes n e c e s s a r y t o d e t e r m i n e what e f f e c t t h i s o p e r a t i v e d a t e h a s

on t h e l a n g u a g e i n s e c t i o n 5.05 of t h e c h a r t e r .

S e c t i o n 10.02 o f t h e B u t t e - S i l v e r Bow C h a r t e r p r o v i d e s

t h a t " [ t l h i s c h a r t e r s h a l l become e f f e c t i v e on May 2, 1977."

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