State of Alaska, Appellant v. Public Safety Employees Association, Appellee

Summary

The court affirmed summary judgment confirming an arbitration award that reinstated an airport police and fire officer without back pay after his discharge for intoxication, sexually inappropriate conduct, and misleading statements during an investigation. Applying highly deferential review, the court held that the arbitrator's decision did not constitute gross error, even if the court might have imposed a different penalty. The court also held that the State waived its challenge to the arbitrator's treatment of sexual harassment and failed to preserve its public-policy argument.