In the recent case of Firefighters Union Local 4725 v. City of Brainerd, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that despite a provision in the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) that allows public employers to restructure their operations without an obligation "to meet and negotiate on matters of inherent managerial policy," a restructuring that has the effect of eliminating the union or all union positions is prohibited because it violates PELRA's "unfair labor practices" provisions.
The case arises out of the City of Brainerd's reaction to increased firefighting expenses and its decision to convert its forces from a fulltime firefighting force to paid on-call firefighters, who receive nominal compensation and limited benefits. After wrestling with the decision of whether to restructure its firefighting force for several years, the City decided to restructure its fire department to save money. The Local vigorously opposed this restructuring because the change eliminated the positions of all of the Local's union members.
