West Chester Area School District v. West Chester Area Education Ass'n

Opinion by

Judge Doyle,

This is an appeal by the West Chester Area School District from a decision and order of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County affirming an arbitration award in favor of the West Chester Area Education Association and certain aggrieved members thereof.

Judicial review of an arbitrator’s decision is restricted by the “essence test” wherein the reviewing court must initially determine if the terms of the collective bargaining agreement encompass the subject matter of the dispute. Leechburg Area School District v. Dale, 492 Pa. 515, 424 A.2d 1309 (1981). The court’s…