No. 12836
I N T E SUPREME C U T OF THE STATE OF M N A A
H OR OTN
1974
STATE EX REL BILLINGS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION,
I N C , , a n o n - p r o f i t Montana c o r p o r a t i o n ,
P l a i n t i f f and R e l a t o r ,
T E DISTRICT COURT O THE THIRTEENTH J U D I C I A L
H F
DISTRICT O THE STATE O M N A A i n and f o r t h e
F F OTN,
County of Yellowstone, and t h e HON. B , W. THOMAS,
p r e s i d i n g D i s t r i c t Judge,
Defendants and Respondents.
ORIGINAL PROCEEDING:
Counsel of Record:
For R e l a t o r :
Pedersen, Herndon and Harper, B i l l i n g s , Montana
Donald R. Herndon argued, B i l l i n g s , Montana
For Respondent:
Moulton, Bellingham, Longo and Mather, B i l l i n g s ,
Montana
William Bellingham argued, B i l l i n g s , Montana
Submitted: August 19, 1974
Decided: August 26, 1974
-. ,-
Filed : 3
JE i S' ',9/4 Dissent Filed: December 12, 1974
Hon. Gordon R . B e n n e t t , D i s t r i c t J u d g e , s i t t i n g i n p l a c e of
Mr. J u s t i c e Frank I . Haswell, d i s s e n t i n g :
I c a n n o t concur e n t i r e l y w i t h t h e o r d e r of t h e m a j o r i t y
o r t h e r e a s o n i n g behind t h e o r d e r b e c a u s e it d e n i e s a l l e f f e c t t o
t h e " P r o f e s s i o n a l N e g o t i a t i o n s Act f o r T e a c h e r s " , s e c t i o n s 75-
6115 t h r o u g h 75-6128, Revised Codes of Montana, 1947, h e r e i n a f t e r
r e f e r r e d t o a s " t h e Act". I t must be presumed t h a t t h e L e g i s -
l a t u r e i n t e n d e d t h e Act t o make a t l e a s t some s u b s t a n t i v e changes
i n t h e e x i s t i n g law i n o r d e r t o a c c o m p l i s h t h e L e g i s l a t i v e dec-
l a r a t i o n of p o l i c y and p u r p o s e e x p r e s s e d i n s e c t i o n 75-6116, R.C.M.
1947. I n h o l d i n g t h a t t h e board of e d u c a t i o n h a s " f i n a l a u t h o r i t y "
a s t o negotiations with i t s teachers t h e majority has stripped t h e
Act of i t s meaning and r e t u r n e d t h e p a r t i e s t o t h e i r former p o s i -
t i o n s a s i f t h e Act had n e v e r been p a s s e d . S t a t u t e s of t h i s s t a t e
a r e t o be c o n s t r u e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t . Courts
may o n l y a s c e r t a i n and d e c l a r e what i s c o n t a i n e d i n s t a t u t e s and
must g i v e e f f e c t t o e v e r y p r o v i s i o n i f p o s s i b l e .
The Act e x p r e s s l y made major changes i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p
between t e a c h e r s and t h e i r employing s c h o o l b o a r d s . For t h e f i r s t
t i m e i n t h e h i s t o r y of t h i s s t a t e , t e a c h e r s were g i v e n t h e r i g h t
t o b a r g a i n c o l l e c t i v e l y a s t o n e g o t i a b l e c o n d i t i o n s of employment
t h r o u g h r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e i r c h o i c e who f u n c t i o n a s t h e s o l e
representatives f o r a l l teachers i n the 'appropriate u n i t " . Direct
n e g o t i a t i o n s between r e p r e s e n t e d i n d i v i d u a l t e a c h e r s and t h e i r
employer a r e p r o h i b i t e d . Both t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e t e a c h e r s
and t h e s c h o o l board have a duty t o n e g o t i a t e and b a r g a i n . The
i n t e n d e d r e s u l t of t h e n e g o t i a t i o n s i s t o a r r i v e a t a m a s t e r a g r e e -
ment which must be reduced t o w r i t i n g and r a t i f i e d . A l l individual
t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t s must conform t o t h e master agreement. It i s an
u n f a i r l a b o r p r a c t i c e f o r employing b o a r d s of e d u c a t i o n t o i n t e r f e r e
with, r e s t r a i n o r coerce teachers i n t h e i r r i g h t of self-organ-
i z a t i o n o r s e l e c t i o n of a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , o r t o r e f u s e t o n e g o t i a t e
i n good f a i t h . D i s t r i c t c o u r t s of t h i s s t a t e a r e g r a n t e d j u r i s -
d i c t i o n t o e n j o i n u n f a i r l a b o r p r a c t i c e s a s defined i n t h e Act.
I cannot construe t h e foregoing provisions a s giving
b o a r d s of e d u c a t i o n " f i n a l a u t h o r i t y " . These s e c t i o n s e x p r e s s l y
g r a n t t e a c h e r s of t h i s s t a t e a d d i t i o n a l l e g a l r i g h t s n o t p r e v i o u s l y
r e c o g n i z e d by s t a t u t e and t o t h e e x t e n t g r a n t e d t h e a u t h o r i t y of
b o a r d s of e d u c a t i o n i s d i m i n i s h e d .
The Act r e q u i r e s good f a i t h c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g . Good
f a i t h b a r g a i n i n g c a n o n l y o c c u r between r e l a t i v e e q u a l s and i s
i n h e r e n t l y impossible i f e i t h e r s i d e has " f i n a l a u t h o r i t y " . The
Act d o e s n o t r e q u i r e agreement. What i s r e q u i r e d i s c o n t i n u e d
good f a i t h n e g o t i a t i o n s between t h e p a r t i e s u n t i l a m a s t e r a g r e e -
ment i s a g r e e d upon.
The r e l a t o r t e a c h e r s i n t h i s p r o c e e d i n g a r e a t t e m p t i n g t o
e n j o i n t h e s c h o o l board from i s s u i n g i n d i v i d u a l t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t s
b e f o r e a m a s t e r agreement h a s been n e g o t i a t e d and r a t i f i e d by t h e
parties. I f such i s s u a n c e of i n d i v i d u a l t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t s con-
s t i t u t e s a n u n f a i r l a b o r p r a c t i c e w i t h i n t h e meaning of s e c t i o n
75-6120, R.C.M. 1947, i t may be e n j o i n e d . This i s t h e s o l e i s s u e
b e f o r e t h e Court and b o t h p a r t i e s a g r e e t h a t t h e u n r e s o l v e d i s s u e s
p r e v e n t i n g agreement a r e n o t r e l e v a n t t o t h i s q u e s t i o n . There i s
a l s o no d i s p u t e c o n c e r n i n g t h e f a c t t h a t t h e s c h o o l board i s
a t t e m p t i n g t o r e q u i r e t e a c h e r a c c e p t a n c e of i n d i v i d u a l c o n t r a c t s
w i t h i n a s p e c i f i e d p e r i o d of t i m e a t t h e p e n a l t y of f o r f e i t u r e of
the teacher's position.
S e c t i o n 75-6102, R.C.M. 1947, r e q u i r e s w r i t t e n i n d i v i d u a l
teacher contracts. S e c t i o n 75-6122, R.C.M. 1947, r e q u i r e s m a s t e r
agreements t o be reduced t o w r i t i n g and r a t i f i e d . N statute
o
d i r e c t l y p r o v i d e s t h a t e i t h e r t y p e of c o n t r a c t s h o u l d p r e c e d e t h e
other. I t i s t h e d u t y of t h i s Court t o p r o v i d e a c o n s t r u c t i o n
which g i v e s b o t h p r o v i s i o n s e f f e c t , i f p o s s i b l e , c o n s i s t e n t
with t h e expressed l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t .
Individual c o n t r a c t s p r i o r t o r a t i f i c a t i o n of a master
agreement s e r v e no u s e f u l o r l e g i t i m a t e p u r p o s e . The o f f e r and
a c c e p t a n c e f u n c t i o n s of c o n t r a c t i n g i s now accomplished by " n o t i c e s
o f r e - e l e c t i o n " of t e n u r e t e a c h e r s p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 75-6105,
R.C.M. 1947, and of n o n t e n u r e t e a c h e r s p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 75-6105.1,
R.C.M. 1947. Both s e c t i o n s r e q u i r e t h e t e a c h e r t o a c c e p t t h e " r e -
e l e c t i o n " i n w r i t i n g within 2 0 days o r f o r f e i t t h e p o s i t i o n . By
r e a s o n of t h e s e s e c t i o n s s c h o o l b o a r d s a r e f u l l y a d v i s e d a s t o t h e
i d e n t i t y of e a c h t e a c h e r who a g r e e s t o t e a c h d u r i n g t h e f o r t h c o m i n g
year within 2 0 days a f t e r t h e teacher has received t h e n o t i c e . The
t e r m s and c o n d i t i o n s of t h e employment a r e r e q u i r e d t o be c o n t r o l l e d
by t h e m a s t e r agreement. I n d i v i d u a l t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t s c a n n o t con-
form t o a m a s t e r agreement n o t y e t i n e x i s t e n c e . Therefore, both
s t a t u t o r y p r o v i s i o n s r e q u i r i n g i n d i v i d u a l t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t s and
m a s t e r a g r e e m e n t s a s t o t e a c h e r s r e p r e s e n t e d by a b a r g a i n i n g a g e n t ,
r e s p e c t i v e l y , a r e s a t i s f i e d by r e q u i r i n g m a s t e r agreement t o
precede t h e i n d i v i d u a l c o n t r a c t s .
I a l s o d i s a g r e e w i t h t h e c o n c l u s i o n of t h e m a j o r i t y o p i n i o n
t h a t t h e r e s p o n d e n t s c h o o l board n e g o t i a t e d i n good f a i t h . Uni-
l a t e r a l l y o f f e r i n g r e p r e s e n t e d t e a c h e r s w i t h t h e o p t i o n of c o n t r a c t -
i n g i n d i v i d u a l l y w i t h r e s p e c t t o n e g o t i a b l e c o n d i t i o n s o f employ-
ment o r f o r f e i t i n g t h e i r j o b d o e s n o t e v e n c o n s t i t u t e b a r g a i n i n g ,
l e t a l o n e "good f a i t h " b a r g a i n i n g . I t i s a b a r e u l t i m a t u m and an
a b s o l u t e r e j e c t i o n of t h e c l e a r i n t e n t and p u r p o s e of t h e Act.
The m a j o r i t y f a i l s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e s t a t u t o r y d i s t i n c t i o n
between c o n d i t i o n s of employment s u b j e c t t o " n e g o t i a t i o n s and
b a r g a i n i n g " and a l l o t h e r m a t t e r s and i s s u e s which remain w i t h i n
t h e s o l e d i s c r e t i o n of t h e s c h o o l board and a r e c o n s i d e r e d " m e e t
and confer" items only. Section 75-6119, R.C.M. 1947, defines
and limits negotiations as follows:
"It shall be the duty of all employers acting
as a board, or acting by and through a bargain-
ing agent designated or employed by the employer,
and all teachers, or a representative of teachers,
to meet and confer for professional negotiation
purposes at the request of either, except as pro-
vided by this act, to discuss matters relating
directly to the employer-teacher relationship
such as salary, hours and other terms of employ-
ment, and to negotiate and bargain for agreement
on such matters. The matters of negotiation and
bargaining for agreement shall not include matters
of curriculum, policy of operation, selection of
teachers and other personnel, or physical plant
of schools or other facilities, however nothing
herein shall limit the obligation of employers
to meet and confer as provided in section 75-
6118. * * * "
The ratification of a master agreement is the only con-
clusion provided in the Act to the duty to bargain in good faith
as to negotiable conditions of employment. It contains no binding
procedure to be used in the event that the parties should reach
an impasse. This may be a serious weakness in the Act but courts
are not permitted to pass on the wisdom of legislation. Union
Carbide v. Skaggs Drug Center, Inc., 139 Mont. 15, 359 P.2d 644;
Yellowstone Bank v. Bd. of Equal., 137 Mont. 198, 351 P.2d 904;
Willett v. State Examiners, 112 Mont. 317, 115 P.2d 287.
Article X, Section 8, of the Constitution of Montana creates
school. boards as a constitutional entity but beyond that fact has
no further relevance to the issues in this matter. The respondent
school board has not argued that the Act is unconstitutional or
that the school board is autonomous with respect to the state legis-
lature. The findings of fact and conclusions of law of the district
court which have, in effect, been affirmed by the majority did not
rule on the constitutionality of the Act.
This Court should have accepted jurisdiction in this pro-
ceeding and held that issuance and offering individual teacher
c o n t r a c t s t o t e a c h e r s r e p r e s e n t e d by a b a r g a i n i n g a g e n t p r i o r
t o r a t i f i c a t i o n of a m a s t e r agreement i s an e n j o i n a b l e u n f a i r
Labor p r a c t i c e under t h e Act. The l e g i s l a t u r e must d e c i d e whether
the Act r e q u i r e s amendment. The C o u r t s h o u l d e n f o r c e t h e Act
according t o i t s t e r m s .
Honorable Gordon R . B e n n e t t s i t t i n g
i n p l a c e of M r . J u s t i c e Frank I .
Haswell.