Court Opinion

ID: 9685656
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 14:55:40.357895+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:08.996521
License: Public Domain

Hallows, C. J.
(concurring). I would reach the question of whether the amnesty clause was valid. In my view, sec. 111.70 (4) (1), Stats., expresses the public policy of this state that municipal employees cannot strike and “such strikes are hereby expressly prohibited.” A municipality cannot declare a contrary policy, circumvent, or override this public policy by granting amnesty to public employees who violate this law and endanger public safety. If the public policy expressed by this section is unjust or obsolete, then the legislature should be convinced to change the law. But until that is done, the amnesty clause is against public policy and void.
I agree that the sentence of the Board cannot be sustained because it was based on charges which were not the subject of notice and, therefore, due process was violated. But I must disagree with that part of the majority opinion in which the court makes an observation which tells the Board of Police & Fire Commissioners what it already knows and suggests, in effect, to the Board that it should dismiss the complaint. Under any consideration, not one of these three items makes the illegal acts in disregard of public safety either legal or excusable. Because this court does not know how much of the discipline penalty given by the Board is referrable to the violation of Board rules and how much to the illegal acts, there is no reason to suggest to the Board what this court thinks the result should be. Such action by this court might well be considered by others to be an improper attempt to influence the Board in the performance of its duties and this should be avoided.