Opinion ID: 1902272
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Fiscal officer

Text: The fiscal officer prepared the budget for the Department, maintained pension files, and handled purchasing requisitions. Sometime in 1993, the police officer in that position began using leave time so that he could attend law school. He was replaced by a civilian. The substitution of a civilian fiscal officer for a police fiscal officer was not a true reorganization; it was a displacement. Therefore, the City was obliged to negotiate with the police union before transferring that unit work. In June 1996, PERC issued its decision and order. In re City of Jersey City, 22 NJPER ¶ 27131 (1996). PERC stated that the issue involved questions of negotiability that have been carefully analyzed under the balancing test set forth by the Supreme Court in In re Local 195, IFPTE v. State, 88 N.J. 393, 443 A. 2d 187 (1982). PERC adopted the hearing examiner's findings of fact except to note that although at the time of the hearing examiner's report transfer of radio repair work had only been in the planning stage, since that time the Department of Public Works had begun doing police radio repair work. Observing that the shifting of work from employees within a negotiations unit to other employees outside the unit generally is a mandatory subject of negotiations, PERC stated that a City is relieved of its negotiation obligation if (1) the City has exercised its managerial right to reorganize the way it delivers government services, (2) the union has waived its right to negotiate over the transfer of unit work, or (3) duties were historically performed by non-unit personnel exclusively or in conjunction with unit employees. In this case, however, PERC determined that no `reorganization' controlled all the negotiability questions. Simply substituting one person for another without changing the structure or the nature of the job does not  per se eliminate a duty to negotiate over the transfer of duties to non-unit employees. Applying those principles, PERC adopted all but two of the hearing examiner's legal conclusions. First, PERC noted that there was no evidence that police officers historically filled the position of fiscal officer. Therefore, contrary to the hearing examiner, PERC held that the City had no duty to negotiate the transfer of police fiscal duties to civilians. Secondly, PERC rejected the hearing examiner's conclusion that the negotiation obligation did not attach when purely supervisory duties were involved. Therefore, PERC held that the City had a duty to negotiate the substitution of a civilian for the police superior officer who supervised the crossing guards. In short, PERC held that the City had a duty to negotiate the transfer of jobs in the following areas: (1) the BCI, (2) the property room, (3) crossing guard supervision, (4) radio repair, and (5) the pistol range. The remaining allegations were dismissed. Finally, PERC ordered the City, pending negotiations with the POBA and the PSOA, to restore police officers to their former duties in the five functional categories in which the City unilaterally had transferred unit work, but that order was stayed pending resolution of this appeal. In re City of Jersey City, 22 NJPER ¶ 27168 (1996). PERC stressed that it was not ordering that police officers must perform those functions, but that the City must negotiate with the police unions before transferring such duties to civilians. The City appealed from that part of PERC's decision finding negotiation obligations. In an unreported decision the Appellate Division affirmed substantially for the reasons set forth by PERC. The court first noted that it may not disturb an agency determination unless the decision was arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable, or unless it violates a legislative policy expressed or implied in the act governing the agency. The court observed that, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:13A-5.4(d), PERC is authorized to determine whether a matter in dispute is within the scope of collective negotiations. The court stated that PERC applied the three-part test set forth in Local 195, supra, 88 N.J. at 401, 443 A. 2d 187, and determined that the transfer of jobs in each of the five disputed areas is negotiable because (1) the item intimately and directly affects the work and welfare of public employees; (2) the subject has not been fully or partially pre-empted by statute or regulation; and (3) a negotiated agreement would not significantly interfere with the determination of governmental policy. Finally, the court rejected the City's argument that if negotiations over the transfers came to an impasse the City would be faced with binding arbitration and could be forced to restore police officers retroactively to positions that did not warrant being filled by police officers.