City of East Providence v. United Steelworkers, Local 15509

OPINION

Justice SUTTELL,

for the Court.

It has been said that “a rose is a rose is a rose,” 1 but it does not necessarily follow that an appeal is an appeal is an appeal— especially if that appeal arose from a rather thorny arbitration. The sweeping yet puzzling waiver of all rights of appeal found in the arbitration provisions of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiated by the City of East Providence (the city) and United Steelworkers of America, Local 15509 (the union), is perhaps as infirm as the rabid raccoon that first set in motion the controversy we now confront. As a result,…