Weather Service Union Gets Partial Win in Arbitrator Dispute (1)

The National Weather Service Employees Organization convinced the D.C. Circuit on Friday to reinstate an arbitrator’s finding that the employer improperly terminated their collective bargaining agreement.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority acted contrary to the law by evaluating, then dismissing, the arbitrator’s interpretation of the term “formal renegotiations” in the labor contract, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said.

However, the court affirmed the FLRA’s ruling that the arbitrator correctly found the NWS hadn’t committed an unfair labor practice in breaching the contract because it didn’t amount to a repudiation of the agreement.

The union, ...