Court Opinion

ID: 9718640
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:28:42.700006+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:01.059073
License: Public Domain

Spencer, J.,
dissenting.
I am in total disagreement with the holding that a school district’s ability to pay is not an issue which can be raised before the Court of Industrial Relations. In my judgment the school district’s ability to pay is of vital concern and its consideration of the issue is inherent in the act itself.
It is apparent to me that to pass constitutional muster the act must be so construed. The power to tax is the power to destroy. The Court of Industrial Relations by this decision is given the power to require taxation beyond the ability of the district to *307pay. It can even ignore maximum levy limits if any such exist. We have held the Legislature may destroy a school district. We now hold the Court of Industrial Relations has that legislative authority.
To brush off the contention that because section 48-818, R. R. S. 1943, makes no mention or reference to the school district’s ability to pay, indicates that the Legislature did not intend the Court of Industrial Relations to consider it as a factor, is in my judgment a “copout.”
Section 48-818, R. R. S. 1943, says nothing about enrollment, athletic relationship, community of interest, geographic location, or general cooperation, or other considerations which have been adopted by the Court of Industrial Relations as guidelines. Certainly, ability to pay is a much more important criteria than those now being considered by the Court of Industrial Relations.
In spite of the thrust of the majority opinion to the contrary, I believe this court has heretofore recognized the obligation of the Court of Industrial Relations to consider ability to pay. In Lincoln Fire Fighters Assn. v. City of Lincoln, 198 Neb. 174, 252 N. W. 2d 607 (1977), we said: “We hold that in determining prevalent wage rates for comparable services in reasonably similar labor markets, the Court of Industrial Relations is required to weigh, compare, and adjust for any economic dissimilarities shown to exist which have a bearing on prevalent wage rates.”
It is time we recognize that sweeping with a broad brush, as we have been doing in these cases, is not only permitting the Court of Industrial Relations to legislate, but also permitting it to become the court of last resort in these cases. This case should be remanded to the Court of Industrial Relations for reconsideration in light of our holding in Lincoln Fire Fighters Assn. v. City of Lincoln, supra.