City of Newport v. Local 1080, International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO

OPINION

Justice INDEGLIA,

for the Court.

Under the terms of a collective-bargaining agreement, the City of Newport (the city) provides health insurance benefits to its retired firefighters. 1 After the city decided to modify those benefits, Local 1080, International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO (the union), filed grievances and sought arbitration. The city responded by seeking relief in Newport County Superior Court to determine the arbitrability of disputes over changes to these benefits. The Superior Court determined that this dispute was not arbitrable. The union disagreed and…