Decision A280E – Alum Rock Union Elementary School District

SF-D-226

Decision Date: December 6, 1996

Decision Type: Administrative Appeal

Description: Union appealed finding that a decertification election petition was properly filed resulting in an election order.

Disposition: Petition dismissed. The decertification petition was filed outside the statutory window period.

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Perc Vol: 21
Perc Index: 28023

Decision Headnotes

1301.00000 – REPRESENTATION ISSUES; CONTRACT BAR
1301.04000 – Window Period

The Board is protective of employees' freedom to express their desires on union representation. However, this policy is restricted by the need for stability in employer-employee relations (Bassett USD, pp. 3-4); In EERA section 3544.7(b)(1), the Legislature balanced these competing interests by identifying a very specific period of time during which a decertification petition may be filed if there is a collective bargaining agreement in effect; accordingly, when PERB considers a decertification petition, it strictly enforces the window period since the window period provided by EERA section 3544.7(b) is "unequivocally defined;" p. 6. Where petitioner filed for one unit and outside window period corrected the petition to file for 2 units, second petition was untimely; pp. 6-7. untimely; pp. 6-7.

1302.00000 – REPRESENTATION ISSUES; DECERTIFICATION
1302.01000 – In General; Filing Requirements

The Board is protective of employees' freedom to express their desires on union representation. However, this policy is restricted by the need for stability in employer-employee relations (Bassett USD, pp. 3-4); In EERA section 3544.7(b)(1), the Legislature balanced these competing interests by identifying a very specific period of time during which a decertification petition may be filed if there is a collective bargaining agreement in effect; accordingly, when PERB considers a decertification petition, it strictly enforces the window period since the window period provided by EERA section 3544.7(b) is "unequivocally defined;" p. 6. Where petitioner filed for one unit and outside window period corrected the petition to file for 2 units, second petition was untimely; pp. 6-7. untimely; pp. 6-7.

1302.00000 – REPRESENTATION ISSUES; DECERTIFICATION
1302.04000 – Bar To

The Board is protective of employees' freedom to express their desires on union representation. However, this policy is restricted by the need for stability in employer-employee relations (Bassett USD, pp. 3-4); In EERA section 3544.7(b)(1), the Legislature balanced these competing interests by identifying a very specific period of time during which a decertification petition may be filed if there is a collective bargaining agreement in effect; accordingly, when PERB considers a decertification petition, it strictly enforces the window period since the window period provided by EERA section 3544.7(b) is "unequivocally defined;" p. 6. Where petitioner filed for one unit and outside window period corrected the petition to file for 2 units, second petition was untimely; pp. 6-7. untimely; pp. 6-7.

1407.00000 – GENERAL LEGAL PRINCIPLES; STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION
1407.01000 – General Principles

Where case hinges on strict application of a clearly worded statute, prejudice to a party is not considered by the Board; p. 8, fn. 8.