Dalton Police Ass'n v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board

**Police Union Loses Fight to Include Chief in Bargaining Unit** The Dalton Police Association wanted to include their Police Chief in their union's collective bargaining unit, which would have allowed the Chief to be represented by the union in contract negotiations. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board said no, ruling that the Police Chief couldn't be part of the union because his job was managerial in nature. The union disagreed with this decision and appealed to the courts. However, the appellate court sided with the Labor Relations Board, confirming that the Police Chief should be excluded from the bargaining unit. The court applied something called the "Star Lodge test," which helps determine whether someone's job duties make them a manager or supervisor rather than a regular employee. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling clarifies an important boundary in union representation. Managers and supervisors typically cannot join the same bargaining units as the workers they oversee, as this could create conflicts of interest during contract negotiations. For regular employees, this protects the integrity of collective bargaining by ensuring that those making management decisions aren't also part of the union representing workers affected by those decisions.