Opinion ID: 2601613
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: PEERA Provisions

Text: PEERA is a labor law covering all persons employed by the State of Kansas and its agencies, except supervisory employees, professional employees of school districts, elected and management officials, and confidential employees. Kansas Bd. of Regents v. Pittsburg State Univ. Chap. of K-NEA, 233 Kan. 801, 803, 667 P.2d 306 (1983). The principal right created by PEERA is for public employees to form, join, or participate in an employee organization designed to meet and confer with public employers regarding grievances and conditions of employmentif they so choose. K.S.A. 75-4324. To make this right meaningful, PEERA mandates public employers recognize the employee organization's right to represent its members regarding specific issues and imposes a duty on public employers to meet and confer in good faith with the employee organization. K.S.A. 75-4327(a)-(b). Because parties are required to bargain in good faith, this court has described PEERA as a hybrid of two traditional labor law models, commonly called meet and confer and collective bargaining acts. 233 Kan. at 804-05, 667 P.2d 306. PEERA's stated purposes are to encourage public agencies, employees, and their representatives to enter into discussions with the affirmative willingness to resolve grievances and disputes related to conditions of employment and to improve employer-employee relations by recognizing the public employee's right to join, or refrain from joining, organizations of their choice. K.S.A. 75-4321(b). This court has described PEERA in the following manner: [PEERA is] administered by the five-member Public Employee Relations Board which is empowered to make rules and regulations, establish procedures for the prevention of improper public employer and employee practices, hold hearings and enforce the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents, conduct employee elections, and determine recognized employee organizations and hear and determine controversies concerning prohibited practices. Kansas Bd. of Regents, 233 Kan. at 803-04, 667 P.2d 306. PERB's duties are scattered throughout PEERA, but K.S.A. 75-4323 confers the following general powers: (1) establish procedures preventing improper labor practices; (2) hold hearings and make inquires necessary to carry out PERB's functions and powers; (3) amend and rescind rules and regulations; and (4) exercise such other powers, as appropriate to effectuate the purposes and provisions of the act. K.S.A. 75-4323(e)(3). In the context of political subdivisions, such as counties and municipalities, PEERA admonishes PERB to intervene in public employer-public employee relations to the minimum extent possible to secure the [purposes] expressed in K.S.A. 75-4321. K.S.A. 75-4323(f). This appeal targets PERB's role in hearing and determining prohibited practices claims. K.S.A. 75-4333 enumerates prohibited labor practices for public employers, public employees, and labor organizations. PERB's role in these proceedings is described in K.S.A. 75-4334: (a) Any controversy concerning prohibited practices may be submitted to the board. . . . Hearings on prohibited practices shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Kansas administrative procedure act. If the board determines an emergency exists, the board may use emergency adjudicative proceedings as provided in K.S.A. 77-536 and amendments thereto. A strike or lockout shall be construed to be an emergency. The board may use its rulemaking power, as provided in K.S.A. 75-4323 and amendments thereto, to make any other procedural rules it deems necessary to carry on this function. (b) The board shall either dismiss the complaint or determine that a prohibited practice has been or is being committed. If the board finds that the party accused has committed or is committing a prohibited practice, the board shall make findings as authorized by this act and shall file them in the proceedings. (c) Any action of the board pursuant to subsection (b) is subject to review and enforcement in accordance with the act for judicial review and civil enforcement of agency actions. (Emphasis added.) The above framework confirms PEERA does not explicitly authorize PERB to award any monetary remedies as a consequence for prohibited practices violations. The parties concede this in their arguments. But PERB and AAUP maintain this authority is implied by the right to exercise the powers necessary to effectuate PEERA's purposes, as provided in K.S.A. 75-4323(e)(3). We consider this next by discussing the parties' contentions regarding the following arguments: (1) PEERA's provisions necessarily require broad remedial power, including allowing PERB to impose money damages; (2) the pre-1986 version of PEERA granted this authority; and (3) other labor laws should persuade us the implicit power exists within PEERA.