Opinion ID: 1477005
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Appeal to the Personnel Appeal Board

Text: Initially, plaintiff appealed the decision of the Pay Plan Board to the Personnel Appeal Board (PAB); however, his complaint was dismissed by the PAB for lack of jurisdiction. The plaintiff sought judicial review of that decision through the APA. Thus, although plaintiff invoked the APA, he did so with respect to the dismissal of his PAB claim and not the Pay Plan Board's decision to reduce his salary in the first instance. The trial justice determined that the PAB was not an appropriate body to entertain plaintiff's claims because its jurisdiction was limited to appeals from employees aggrieved by an action of an appointing authority and plaintiff's grievance arose from an adverse decision of the Pay Plan Board. We agree with this conclusion. The plaintiff was aggrieved by a decision of the Pay Plan Board that resulted in a diminution of his salary. Section 36-4-42 provides, in part: Appeal from appointing authority to appeal board.  Any state employee    who feels aggrieved by an action of an appointing authority resulting in a demotion, suspension, layoff, or dismissal or by any personnel action which an appointing authority might take which causes the person to believe that he or she had been discriminated against because of his or her race, sex, age, disability, or his or her political or religious beliefs, may, within thirty (30) calendar days of the mailing of the notice of that action, appeal in writing to the [P]ersonnel [A]ppeal [B]oard for a review or public hearing. The Pay Plan Board was not plaintiff's appointing authority. Pursuant to the provisions of § 39-1-4(b), as PUC chairperson, plaintiff was appointed by the governor for a six year term, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. We, therefore, are satisfied that plaintiff's appeal to the PAB pursuant to the terms of § 36-4-42 was not proper. [15] Consequently, the petition for certiorari is denied and the decision affirmed.