EMPLOYER REFUSAL TO BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH; NEGOTIATIONS; INDICIA OF SURFACE OR BAD FAITH BARGAINING; TOTALITY OF CIRCUMSTANCES – Dilatory or Evasive Tactics

Single Topic for Decision 2571M

View all topics for Decision 2571M

Full Decision Text (click on the link to view): Full Text

A party demonstrates bad faith when it rushes to impasse, or if its impasse declaration is “premature, unfounded, or insincere.” A budget deadline is not an exigent circumstance allowing employer to accelerate negotiations unilaterally. Employer holding a budget vote before completing negotiations and post-impasse procedures must refrain from voting on concessions that have not yet been ratified. While section 3505 of the MMBA provides that parties shall endeavor to reach agreement prior to a public agency’s adoption of its final budget, the statute’s use of non-mandatory language renders it “only hortatory” and contrasts with the law’s other, obligatory mandates, such as the duty to bargain for a reasonable and adequate amount of time to allow for good faith negotiations. (Dublin Professional Firefighters Local 1885 v. Valley Community Services District (1975) 45 Cal.App.3d 116, 118.)