Opinion ID: 1902113
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the waiver of the right to appeal the decision of the labor board

Text: The petitioners contend that the school committee waived any right to challenge the labor board's inclusion of the position of secretary to the business manager within the bargaining unit by entering into contract negotiations with the union. As a consequence petitioners assert that the board's order was not properly before the Superior Court on review regardless of the procedure for appealing a certification order deemed appropriate in the case at bar. In support of their argument petitioners call our attention to the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Technicolor Government Services, Inc. v. NLRB, 739 F.2d 323 (8th Cir.1984). In Technicolor the Eighth Circuit held that the mere commencement of collective bargaining operates as a waiver of any objection to a certification order entered by the NLRB. We decline to adopt this approach to the issue of waiver. [6] The provisions of § 42-35-15 afford a party aggrieved by a certification order the statutory right to obtain review of the ruling in the Superior Court. A right of such import is not abandoned lightly and we shall not consider it to have been surrendered simply because labor negotiations have begun. The petitioners indicate that the primary intent of their proposed waiver doctrine is to force an employer to weigh the many costs of going forward with an appeal, including disruption of its operation as well as potential exposure to an unfair labor practice charge, against any gains that may be achieved through review. They argue that the procedure for appealing a certification order must compel such an accounting in order to deter legal activity aimed only at frustrating the manifest desires of employee groups to bargain collectively. We are sympathetic to petitioners' concerns about the corrosive effect of unmerited litigation in the labor field. However, we are persuaded that in its application the approach to waiver espoused by petitioners does not tend to encourage the swift and productive resolution of labor disputes. Given the extent of federal preemption, most of the employers whose affairs are regulated under the Rhode Island Labor Relations Act and related legislation are public employers. The petitioners' proposed waiver doctrine is not likely to be effective in compelling a public employer to recognize a union if it opposes collective bargaining. Such an employer can allow a representation controversy to slide into arbitration or let it be decided by protracted judicial action with little price to pay for its refusal to bargain. Because a public employer's services are important to the health, safety, and/or welfare of an entire community, public policy militates against their delivery's being impaired in the face of labor unrest. Public employees are prohibited accordingly from striking or engaging in work slowdowns in support of their right to bargain collectively. See G.L. 1956 (1986 Reenactment) §§ 28-9.1-2, 28-9.2-2, 28-9.3-1, and 28-9.4-1. As a consequence it is doubtful that the approach to waiver advanced by petitioners will deter a public employer committed to resisting unionization from using the legal system in an inappropriate manner. In many other instances an employer might only have a limited concern regarding the certification of a small number of employees. The employer may be ready, as in the case at bar, not only to recognize the union's overall position as exclusive bargaining representative but also to enter into an agreement encompassing all pertinent matters except the subject of its appeal. In such a situation petitioners' proposed waiver doctrine would often lead by design to the unwarranted sacrifice of a colorable appeal in order for an employer to obtain labor peace. Should the employer decide instead that pursuing reversal of the board's ruling is of sufficient importance to its desired management posture, petitioners' theory forces the employer to hold up any and all labor negotiations to maintain an appeal. Such an outcome would be of dubious benefit to both labor and management. It denies employees the more rapid enjoyment of the fruits of collective bargaining while needlessly heightening strife in the workplace. We are convinced accordingly that the right to secure review of a certification order is not waived by the start of contract discussions between a union and an employer. The petitioners also advance the argument that the collective bargaining agreement entered into by the union and the school committee acted as a waiver of the school committee's appeal of the board's ruling. They contend that the terms of the agreement acknowledge and incorporate the labor board's determination that the secretary to the business manager is not a confidential employee. We agree that a party may waive an appeal of an adverse board order expressly, such as by including a waiver provision in a labor contract. Such a waiver must be explicit, clear, and unequivocal. See Metropolitan Edison Co. v. NLRB, 460 U.S. 693, 103 S.Ct. 1467, 75 L.Ed.2d 387 (1983); NLRB v. Lion Oil Co., 352 U.S. 282, 77 S.Ct. 330, 1 L.Ed.2d 331 (1957). However, after examining the certified record before us we conclude that the school committee did not waive its right of appeal. Nowhere in the record is there an indication of waiver with the requisite clarity and explicitness. We therefore find petitioners' argument to be unpersuasive.