Department of Corrections v. Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Ass'n

OPINION BY

Judge LEAVITT.

The Department of Corrections (Department) petitions this Court to review a labor arbitration award rendered pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement and the Public Employe Relations Act (Act 195). 1 The arbitrator converted the Department’s discharge of Corrections Officer Joseph Karpinsky into a five-day suspension, concluding that Karpinsky’s off-duty misconduct did not constitute just cause for termination. In this case we consider whether the arbitration award draws its essence from the collective bargaining agreement and whether Karpin-sky’s conduct impaired…