Court Opinion

ID: 9655514
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 19:13:03.000932+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:18.954743
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(dissenting).
The South Dakota Department of Labor is attempting to conduct hearings and issue orders removing from the Board of Regents the final authority to determine qualifications, grounds for discharge, and salaries for professional employees. Under the guise of an unfair labor practice or grievance appeal, the Department of Labor would determine Heegel’s salary (reduce it by $5,000), Zeman’s employment qualifications (interfere with the Regent’s discretion as to whom should be heading up the Department of Language, Literature, and Speech at Northern State College), and the propriety of Metzger’s termination (Regents having terminated her for misconduct).
Under a colossal governmental grab of power, the Department of Labor seeks to engulf the constitutional and statutory authority of the Board of Regents of this state. By the decision of this Court, it is now fait accompli. Professionals in education are now laborers. They will be dealt with by a labor board. As regards the supervision of professional people, the majority opinion emasculates and destroys the effectiveness of the Board of Regents. By virtue of this decision, and under SDCL 3-18-15.2, the Department of Labor may now “conduct an investigation and hearing and shall issue an order covering the points raised, which order is binding on the employees and the governmental agency.” The jurisdiction of the Board of Regents— the academic overlay in that Board — such as we have known it in this state down through the years is gone. Under SDCL 3-18-15.2, and per this decision, the Board of Regents can be ordered by a labor tribunal to increase or decrease professional salaries, hire and fire professionals by edict, and correct that constitutional board akin to a parent disciplining a child. It all bodes ill for our institutions of higher learning in South Dakota.
Appellants argue that the Board of Regents acquiesced in a diminution of its control by entering into collectively bargained agreements with the Council of Higher Education. To assert this, is to ignore the language of those agreements. Each agreement with the Council of Higher Education leaves final authority with the Board of Regents in matters involving the employment, discharge, and salaries of professional employees. The Board of Regents cannot delegate this type of authority either expressly or impliedly or by an agreement with any labor council to the Department of Labor. Carlson v. Hudson, 277 N.W.2d 715 (S.D.1979); Worzella v. Board of Regents, 77 S.D. 447, 93 N.W.2d 411 (1958). The contracts reserve the final administrative decision in matters of this import to the Board of Regents. Apparently understanding and appreciating the past decisions of this Court, the Board of Regents wisely, and as a matter of constitutional necessity, made this reservation. Appellants would have this Court believe that, if they are not successful in this appeal, they have no remedy. That is not true. They do have a grievance procedure before the Board of Regents. This is known as the “Faculty Grievance Procedure” and is found in the Board of Regents’ Policy Manual. Metzger, as an example, was afforded an opportunity to grieve her discharge for cause. It is totally fallacious for appellants to advocate that the Board of Regents-Council of Higher Education contract precludes a professional from filing a grievance.1 Appellants would *456further have this Court believe that if they are not successful in converting this Court-to their advocacy, i.e., unless they can carry their grievances before the Department of Labor, they have no remedy whatsoever. This is false. If a professional grieves by virtue of a written complaint, and if the Board of Regents denies same, the grievants, after exhausting their administrative remedies, may appeal to the circuit court. Their “day in court” will not be taken from them. Appellants, however, desire to abandon their “day in court” in circuit court and to proceed from one constitutional board to an administrative agency-
The Department of Labor does not have jurisdiction over the Board of Regents’ professional employees by virtue of Executive Reorganization via Article IV, § 8 of the South Dakota Constitution.
The Executive Reorganization Order of 1973 was issued pursuant to Article IV, § 8 of the South Dakota Constitution. An order thereunder provided for the transfer of power, duties, and functions of various state agencies. Significantly, the order provided: “It is the intent of this executive order not to increase, decrease or change the statutory functions, powers and duties of any agency existing before the effective date of this order unless such intent is specifically expressed within this executive order.” 1973 S.D.Sess.L. ch. 2.
This Court recognized a constitutional transfer of authority from the Board of Regents to the Career Service Commission. South Dakota Board of Regents v. Meister, 309 N.W.2d 121 (S.D.1981). We held that Executive Order No. 73-1 transferred final administrative jurisdiction over the Board of Regents’ nonprofessional employees to the Career Service Commission. The distinction between nonprofessional employees and professionals was deemed to be “critical.” Although this Court recognized a limitation of Regents’ control over nonprofessional employees, it explicitly excluded from the Legislature’s increased authority to limit the Regents’ control matters involving professional employees. Meister’s rationale was based upon a constitutional amendment plus Executive Reorganization providing the Career Service Commission with jurisdiction in matters pertaining to nonprofessionals. Executive Order No. 73-1 specifically expressed within the order an intent for that transfer. Section 28 of the Order (1973 S.D.Sess.L. ch. 2, § 28) provides:
This system of career service personnel management may apply to all employees of the executive branch of state government except: ... (f) Presidents, deans, administrative and policy making officers, student health service physicians and certified teaching and professional research personnel at the colleges and universities under the jurisdiction of the state board of regents and other directors or administrative policy making officers of such institutions as determined by the personnel policy board ....
Section 28 of Executive Order No. 73-1, in conjunction with Article IV, § 8 of the South Dakota Constitution, effectively amended Article XIV, § 3. The implied amendment, by specifically expressed intent within Executive Order No. 73-1, transferred the final administrative authority over nonprofessional personnel matters to the Career Service Commission. Meister, 309 N.W.2d at 123.
The majority opinion, with an unfounded leap of logic, relates that the majority decision is “a natural extension of Meister.” I whole-heartedly disagree with that rationale. Whereas the Career Service Commission was bestowed with a grant of authority over nonprofessional employees, the Department of Labor has not been blessed with increased authority over the Board's professional employees. The provisions of Executive Order No. 73-1 specifically named the Board of Regents’ nonprofessional employees and transferred jurisdiction over them unto the Career Service Commission. 1973 S.D.Sess.L. ch. 2, § 28. By contrast, Executive Order No. 73-1 does not express an intent to transfer juris*457diction over the Regents’ professional employees to the Department of Labor. If one examines the sections of Executive Order No. 73-1 pertinent to Executive Reorganization of the Department of Labor, such research will disclose no reference to the Board of Regents. Most importantly, in the absence of a specifically expressed intent within Executive Order No. 73-1, there is no increase or change in the powers, functions, or responsibilities of the Department of Labor or the Board of Regents. See 1973 S.D.Sess.L. ch. 2, § 3. SDCL ch. 3-6A confirms the Career Service Commission’s constitutional authority as established by specific reference in Executive Order No. 73-1. Executive Reorganization provided no constitutional amendment which authorized the enactment of unfair labor practice and grievance appeal procedures applicable to professional employees. There simply exists no constitutional amendment for SDCL 3-18-3.1, SDCL 3-18-3.3, and SDCL 3-18-15.2. Therefore, the trial court below correctly held that Executive Reorganization did not authorize the South Dakota Department of Labor to apply unfair labor practice and grievance appeal procedures with respect to professional employees under the authority of the Board of Regents. Properly did the trial court issue a Writ of Prohibition to prevent the Department of Labor from exceeding its jurisdiction. Therefore, I respectfully dissent. This state simply does not need a labor board hounding and second-guessing the decisions of a constitutional board which is constitutionally empowered to run our state institutions and statutorily granted the right to employ and dismiss its employees under SDCL 13-49-14.2

. Article 6.30(1) of the Board of Regents-Council of Higher Education contract provides: "Any other grievances authorized by law, and which do not constitute a grievance under this definition, may be processed through the Board of Regents Policy, 5.4_” Section 5.4 precludes substantive complaints for nonrenewal, salary, denial of promotion, or denial of tenure. Com*456plaints of illegal discrimination are to be brought under Section 7.1.9 of the Board of Regents’ Policy Manual. Appellants do not wish to abide by their contract!

. SDCL 13-49-14 provides:
The board of regents is authorized to employ and dismiss all officers, instructors, and employees of such institutions, necessary to the proper management thereof, to determine their number, qualifications, and duties, fix the term of their employment, and rate and manner of their compensation, provide for a sabbatical leave on part pay, and provide for a retirement program; provided, that no person shall be employed or dismissed by reason of any sectarian or political opinions held.