Opinion ID: 1613382
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: duty to bargain

Text: Section 111.70(1)(a), Stats., imposes on the municipal employer the duty to bargain with the representative of its employees with respect to wages, hours and conditions of employment. However, the municipal employer is generally not required to bargain on subjects reserved to management and direction of the governmental unit. Id. The County argues that the right to determine whether the principal duties of its jailers involve active law enforcement is an important management right which should be reserved to the County and the sheriff. Section 111.70(1)(a), Stats., necessarily presents certain tensions and difficulties in its application. West Bend Educ. Ass'n v. WERC, 121 Wis. 2d 1, 8, 357 N.W.2d 534, 538 (1984). These tensions generally arise when a proposal touches simultaneously upon wages, hours and conditions of employment and upon managerial decision making or public policy. Id. To resolve a conflict, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has adopted a primarily related standard. Id. This standard requires a balancing of the employees' interest in wages, hours and conditions of employment and the public employer's interest in management prerogatives or public policy. Id. at 9, 357 N.W.2d at 538. [2] However, the balancing test assumes that the proposal is one with respect to which each party is free to bargain. The public employer is not free to bargain with respect to a proposal which would authorize a violation of public policy or a statute. Glendale Professional Policemen's Ass'n v. Glendale, 83 Wis. 2d 90, 106, 264 N.W.2d 594, 602 (1978); WERC v. Teamsters Local No. 563, 75 Wis. 2d 602, 612, 250 N.W.2d 696, 701 (1977), rev'd on other grounds, City of Madison v. Madison Professional Police Officers Ass'n, 144 Wis. 2d 576, 425 N.W.2d 8 (1988). The same principle logically extends to a proposal which requires the public employer to fail to perform a duty imposed upon it by statute or to perform that duty in a way contrary to the policy and purpose of the statute. [3] WPPA's proposal requires that the County neglect to perform its duty under sec. 40.02(48)(a), Stats., to determine whether its jailers qualify as protective occupation participants. We conclude that WPPA's proposal is contrary to the policy and purpose of the public employe trust fund law. In Part II, we examine the County's duty under sec. 40.02(48)(a) in the context of the policy and purpose of public employee trust fund law.