Labor Arbitration in the News

Arbitrator Stephen Burbank rejected the grievance filed by the NFL Players Association challenging the authority of the Commissioner to impose discipline on current and former Saints players for their alleged involvement in a pool to reward players for incapacitating opposing players. Nola.com has posted a copy of the award here.

The American Federation of Government Employees has posted a copy of the decision of a panel of arbitrators affirming the finality of impasse procedures for the employees of the Transportation Security Administration.TSA Union Prevails in Landmark Arbitration; Ensures for Collective Bargaining Agreement The award can be found here. The panel concluded that the position advocated by the TSA, arguing that an interest award following impasse was not binding, would result in an “endless loop” of impasse, award, possible non ratification, impasse, etc.

Arbitrator James Margolin has issued an award finding that the City of North Las Vegas breached a provision of its cba with the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association which required the City to pay 100% of the premiums for medical benefits. The NLVPOA website contains a link to the award here. The cba required the City to provide health benefits identical to those provided to other City employees and to pay 100% of the premiums. During the term of the contract the City introduced a new plan for employees which contained four options. For one of those options, an HMO, the City would pay the entire premium. The POA felt the HMO option was significantly less favorable than the medical insurance they previously had and argued that the City was obligated to pay the entire premium for whichever option the unit employees selected. Arbitrator Margolin upheld the union’s grievance and further concluded that the parties past practice “reveals that the parties intended Article 15, Section 2A to preclude the City from unilaterally reducing the quality of the medical insurance that it provides to the POA”.