Opinion ID: 2192332
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: arbitration agreements in general

Text: There are several settled principles of labor law that are applicable to this case. It is well-settled that the question of arbitrability is one for the court. John Wiley & Sons, Inc v Livingston, 376 US 543, 546-547; 84 S Ct 909; 11 L Ed 2d 898 (1964). As stated in Wiley, the duty to arbitrate is one of a contractual origin and thus, in general, an employer has no obligation to arbitrate issues which he has not agreed to arbitrate. [3] On the other hand, there is a strong policy on the federal and state level of favoring the arbitration of disputes. In the Steelworkers Trilogy, [4] several basic propositions were enunciated concerning arbitration. First, judicial inquiry is limited to whether a claim on its face is governed by the contract. Second, arbitration should not be denied unless it may be said with positive assurance that the arbitration clause is not susceptible of an interpretation that covers the asserted dispute. Doubts should be resolved in favor of coverage. United Steelworkers of America v Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co, 363 US 574, 582-583; 80 S Ct 1347; 4 L Ed 2d 1409 (1960). Third, absent an express provision excluding a particular grievance from arbitration or the most forceful evidence of a purpose to exclude the claim from arbitration, the matter should go to arbitration. Fourth, the burden is on the party who would exclude a matter from the general arbitration clause to do so expressly and explicitly. All of these principles are especially relevant to the case at hand. This Court adopted these principles and applied them in a public employment relations act (PERA) context in Kaleva-Norman-Dickson School Dist v KND Teachers' Ass'n, 393 Mich 583; 227 NW2d 500 (1975) (hereinafter KND School Dist). In KND School Dist, there was a dispute over the renewal of a probationary teacher's contract and the amount of discretion given to the school board in such a matter pursuant to the collective-bargaining agreement. This Court held that there was no express reservation of such claims from arbitration in the contract or any evidence of a purpose to exclude such claims from arbitration. Therefore, whether or not there was a violation of the contract was held to be a question for the arbitrator. This Court could not say with positive assurance that the arbitration clause was not susceptible of an interpretation to cover the dispute. The Court of Appeals was reversed, and the injunction restraining arbitration of the claim was dissolved.