Appeal of Town of Durham

The petitioner, the Town of Durham (town), appeals a decision of the public employee labor relations board (PELRB) that found that the issue of whether an employee grievance was arbitrable under a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the town and the respondent, the Durham Professional Firefighters Association, Local 2253 (union), should be decided by an arbitrator rather than by the PELRB. We reverse and remand.

The record supports the following facts. The town and the union entered into a CBA that included a provision for the submission to binding arbitration of disputes regarding…