Opinion ID: 1934703
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Board's Denial of Procedural Safeguards.

Text: One of the major objections raised by petitioners was the refusal of the Board to conform to the procedural safeguards of the D.C.Administrative Procedure Act, D.C.Code 1973, § 1-1501 et seq., particularly the provisions of Section 1509 which, inter alia, require the agency in its notice of hearing to provide opportunity to present evidence and argument on all issues, to permit the parties to conduct cross-examination, to make findings of fact upon each contested issue of fact, and to base its findings in accordance with the reliable, probative and substantial evidence. They argue that because of the Board's failure to conform to this section of the Act, they were aggrieved by (1) Imposition of conditions of employment in the final wage order concerning matters not mentioned in the notice of hearing, thereby depriving petitioners of an opportunity to be heard on such issues. (2) Introduction of and reliance upon documentary exhibits relating to living costs without opportunity to cross-examine. (3) The use of such hearsay material to support a finding that $2.40 was necessary to provide a single employee adequate maintenance and health protection in violation of the requirement that such findings be based on reliable and substantial evidence and in disregard of countervailing evidence, thus failing to make a finding on each contested issue of fact. (4) The absence of any evidence whatsoever to support a finding that the fair and reasonable value of the work is in the range of $1.90 to $2.06 an hour.