Lancaster County v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board

OPINION

Justice TODD.

In this appeal by allowance, we determine whether county prison maintenance employees who supervise inmates constitute “guards at prisons” for purposes of collective bargaining unit placement under the Pennsylvania Employe Relations Act (“PERA”), 43 P.S. § 1101.604(3). For the reasons that follow, we hold that the Commonwealth Court did not apply the proper level of deference in its appellate review of the decision of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (“Board”) which concluded that supervisory maintenance employees at issue are “guards at prisons” for purposes of…