Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Ingraham, J.), entered July 30, 1990 in Cortland County, which, in a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78, granted respondents’ motion to dismiss the petition for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
Petitioner was employed as a probationary public safety officer at the State University of New York at Cortland in Cortland County. On January 5, 1990, she called Assistant Personnel Director Peter Lalla to express concern relating to her job security and indicated a desire to resign rather than
The general rule is that a party who objects to an act of an administrative agency must exhaust available administrative remedies before being permitted to litigate in a court of law (Matter of Vrooman v Prevost, 80 AD2d 933, 934). Additionally, this State’s public policy favors the resolution of labor disputes pursuant to the procedures provided for in a collective bargaining agreement (see, Matter of Board of Educ. v Ambach, 70 NY2d 501, 509, cert denied sub nom. Margolin v Board of Educ., 485 US 1034). However, article 7 of the collective bargaining agreement in the case at bar provides that the grievance procedure defined therein need not be pursued where the issue raised may be presented in a review procedure established by law. Additionally, the general rule requiring exhaustion of administrative remedies does not apply where the issue raised involves a pure question of law (see, Matter of Vrooman v Prevost, supra, at 935). Unquestionably, CPLR article 78 affords petitioner a procedure to review the determination. The question to be resolved, therefore, is whether the issue raised is a pure question of law.
It is clear from the record that petitioner was terminated from her position based upon an alleged oral resignation which was put into writing by Lalla. It is a requirement that "every resignation shall be in writing” (4 NYCRR 5.3 [a]). The issue raised by petitioner is whether respondents could reduce her alleged oral resignation to writing and subject her to the terms thereof pursuant to 4 NYCRR 5.3 (a). Petitioner called upon Supréme Court to interpret and construe 4 NYCRR 5.3 (a) and to determine the legality or illegality of respondents’ act, thereby raising a pure question of law concerning statutory interpretation (see, Matter of Vrooman v Prevost, supra).
Mahoney, P. J., Casey, Weiss and Mercure, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is reversed, on the law, with costs, and motion denied.