Opinion ID: 1474245
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Betancourt Appeal

Text: Trooper James Betancourt was charged with Unbecoming Conduct for exposing his penis while on duty at troop headquarters during a jovial conversation with other state troopers. For this incident, Trooper Betancourt was placed on restricted duty and a court martial was scheduled. The court martial was held, and Trooper Betancourt received a thirty day suspension without pay. Trooper Betancourt later appealed this discipline through the contractual grievance procedure. The arbitrator determined that Trooper Betancourt's conduct did not squarely fit the definition of Unbecoming Conduct, and that in any event Trooper Betancourt was adequately punished by performing janitorial work for the two months he was on restricted duty. The arbitrator awarded Trooper Betancourt lost wages and ordered that his record be expunged. The Pennsylvania State Police (State Police) appealed to the Commonwealth Court. In its appeal, the State Police urged the Commonwealth Court to revisit the issue as to what is the proper scope of review for an appeal of an Act 111 grievance arbitration award. In its opinion, the Commonwealth Court recognized that the scope of review applicable to Act 111 interest arbitration awards was in the nature of narrow certiorari. Pennsylvania State Police v. Pennsylvania State Troopers' Association (Betancourt), 159 Pa.Commw. 489, 633 A.2d 1278 (1993). The narrow certiorari scope of review limits a reviewing court to questions regarding: (1) the jurisdiction of the arbitrators; (2) the regularity of the proceedings; (3) an excess of the arbitrator's powers; and (4) deprivation of constitutional rights. [3] , [4] The Commonwealth Court went on to state that the scope of review employed by courts to review Act 111 grievance arbitration awards should not be narrow certiorari, but rather should be the essence test scope of review as embodied in the Uniform Arbitration Act (UAA). [5] The essence test grants a far broader scope of review to the courts than does the narrow certiorari scope of review. The essence test permits a court to vacate an arbitrator's award if the court finds that arbitrator's award did not draw its essence from the collective bargaining agreement; in other words, the essence test allows a court to question whether the arbitrator's award represents a reasonable interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement. County of Centre v. Musser, 519 Pa. 380, 548 A.2d 1194 (1988). The Commonwealth Court rested its conclusion as to the appropriate scope of review upon its understanding that the UAA, and not Act 111, authorizes grievance arbitration for police and fire personnel. Thus, the Commonwealth Court concluded, as the UAA established grievance arbitration, its scope of review applied. The Commonwealth Court then determined that the arbitrator's decision was not drawn from the essence of the collective bargaining agreement, and reversed the arbitrator's award.