Rhode Island Employment Security Alliance, Local 401 v. State Department of Employment & Training

OPINION

Thirteen computer operators employed at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) and their union, the Rhode Island Employment Security Alliance, Local 401, S.E.I.U., AFL-CIO (collectively, plaintiffs), brought suit in Superior Court seeking declaratory, compensatory and injunctive relief to redress alleged violations of the Merit System Act, G.L. 1956 chapter 4 of title 36. The plaintiffs alleged that they have been placed in lower job classifications and pay grades than other state workers in positions with substantially similar authority, responsibility, character of…