St. Paul Professional Employees Ass'n v. City of St. Paul

Peterson, Justice.

The primary issue for decision, exclusively a matter of statutory construction, is whether, under the provisions of the Public Employment Labor Relations Act of 1971, Minn. St. 179.61 to 179.77, a public employer, upon impasse in negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with the certified representative of its supervisory employees and upon demand, must submit the unresolved issues to binding arbitration, irrespective of whether or not such employees might otherwise, as a matter of fact, be deemed nonessential employees. We hold in the affirmative. A secondary…