Policemen's Benevolent Ass'n v. City of Trenton

At issue on this appeal is the application of the “reasonably debatable” standard that governs judicial review of a public employment arbitration award. An arbitrator interpreted a phrase in a collective bargaining agreement (the Agreement)—“no overtime shall be paid for a ten minute period prior to the commencement of a tour”—to permit the payment of compensation at *425straight-time rates for that period. The question is whether that interpretation was reasonably debatable.

In reaching his conclusion, the arbitrator relied on the actual words of the Agreement, wove together its relevant…