Ridgefield Park Education Association, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Ridgefield Park Board of Education, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the 1974 amendment to the Employer-Employee Relations Act did not create a permissive category of negotiable subjects, so teacher transfers are not mandatorily negotiable and the arbitration clause in the collective agreement is unenforceable. Accordingly, the Court reversed the Chancery Division's order and permanently enjoined arbitration of the disputes. Judge CONFORD, concurring and dissenting, agreed with the injunction but argued that the legislature had recognized a permissive category and that arbitration should be allowed unless it transfers inherent managerial decisions to an arbitrator.