The city of Brainerd violated state labor laws by restructuring the paid fire department and dissolving the union, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
City administrators said the move to use part-time firefighters without benefits was made to cut costs and was within the right to “inherent managerial policy” under the state’s Public Employment Labor Relations Act. The Supreme Court, however, said those managerial rights do not provide immunity from the law’s prohibition on “interfering with the existence of an employee organization.”
“Therefore, we reject the city’s argument that a public employer has an inherent managerial authority to commit an unfair labor practice,” the opinion said.
Justice David Lillehaug wrote the 16-page majority opinion on behalf of Justices Margaret Chutich, Natalie Hudson, Anne McKeig and Paul Thissen.