Opinion ID: 1587319
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: whether cir exceeded its authority in ordering inclusion of contract continuation language

Text: In its first assignment of error, the District assigns, restated and consolidated, that the CIR exceeded its authority by ordering the inclusion of contract continuation language in the parties' agreement. The language in question provides that `[t]his Agreement shall continue in full force and effect until a successor agreement is adopted which is then retroactive to the beginning of that school year.' The District makes several arguments in support of its assignment, which we have restated and consolidated. First, the District argues that the contract continuation clause is a topic of permissive, not mandatory, bargaining and thus exceeds the CIR's authority. The District also complains that in ordering the agreement to include the contract continuation clause, the CIR issued an order affecting a future contract year and thus entered a declaratory judgment, which also exceeds its authority. In addition, the District also contends that the CIR violated Neb.Rev.Stat. §§ 48-810.01 (Reissue 2004) and 79-515 (Reissue 2008) by ordering it to enter into a contract and violated public policy by issuing an order that prevents the District from exercising its authority to implement a final order after reaching an impasse.