Judges: J.D. MacFARLANE, Attorney General
Filed Date: 5/17/1979
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 7/5/2016
The Honorable Ted L. Strickland Senator State of Colorado State Capitol Building Denver, Colorado 80203
Dear Senator Strickland:
This is in reply to your letters of March 26, 1979 to Robert J. Ore and April 3, 1979 to Terrence A. Tollefson, which requested that this office investigate the actions of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education and the Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor, because it provided staff support for monitoring the polling place in connection with recent collective bargaining elections at state community colleges.
The attorney general is required by statute to defend all proceedings brought against the Director of the Division of Labor, and cannot appear in any "proceedings, hearing, investigation, arbitration, award or compensation matter" except as attorney for the director and employees of the Division of Labor. C.R.S. 1973,
QUESTIONS PRESENTED AND CONCLUSIONS
Your request for an attorney general's opinion presents the following questions:
1. Are employees of the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education or the board prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining?
My conclusion is "no," provided that no agreement requires mandatory arbitration.
2. May the Division of Labor supervise collective bargaining elections of employees of the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education?
My conclusion is "yes."
ANALYSIS
1. Employees are expressly permitted to unite and combine concerning their conditions of employment. C.R.S. 1973,
The Colorado Supreme Court has determined that in the absence of such legislation public boards, such as the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, may engage in collective bargaining with their employees, so long as any such agreements do not provide for binding arbitration. SeeAurora v. Aurora Firefighters Protective Ass'n,
2. The authority of the Division of Labor to supervise collective bargaining elections of employees of the state board can be implied from the general powers granted to the director of the Division of Labor under C.R.S. 1973 title 8, art. I. While the director's powers are not unlimited under this article, they are extensive. See Industrial Commission v. Peopleex rel. Metz,
The enumerated powers of the director are contained in several provisions. Under section
do all in his power . . . to avoid the necessity of resorting to strikes, lockouts, boycotts, blacklists, discriminations and legal proceedings in matters of employment.
C.R.S. 1973,
The director is to administer all of these provisions "with respect to the relations between employer and employees, and to do all other acts and things convenient and necessary to accomplish the purpose of this article." C.R.S. 1973,
For the purposes of article I of title 8, "employer" includes all state and other public institutions having four or more employees. C.R.S. 1973,
The provisions of article I of title 8 do not prohibit the Division of Labor and the director from supervising collective bargaining elections, and can be construed to authorize such action. It appears that the director of the Division of Labor acted consistent with the authority granted by C.R.S. 1973,
SUMMARY
The State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education can collectively bargain provided no agreement requires mandatory arbitration. The Division of Labor may supervise collective bargaining elections of the employees of the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education.
Very truly yours,
J.D. MacFARLANE Attorney General
cc: Gov. Richard D. Lamm Robert J. Ore John Kezer State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education Representative Steve Durham James Monaghan
EMPLOYEES, PUBLIC LABOR RELATIONS EDUCATION, HIGHER
C.R.S. 1973,
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Senate HIGHER EDUCATION, DEPT. OF LABOR EMPLOYMENT DEPT. Labor, Div. of
State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education can collectively bargain, provided no agreement requires mandatory arbitration. Division of Labor may supervise collective bargaining elections of employees of the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education.