Bolden v. Lake County Board of Education

**Bolden v. Lake County Board of Education: Union Duty Case** This case involved a dispute between an employee and their union over how a workplace grievance was handled. The employee claimed their union failed to properly represent them when the union decided to withdraw a grievance that had been filed on the employee's behalf. The employee argued this violated the union's legal duty to fairly represent all members. The court ruled against the employee. The Appeals Court agreed with the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board's decision that the union did not breach its duty of fair representation. The court found that the employee could not prove the union acted with unlawful motivation when it chose to withdraw the grievance. This ruling matters for workers because it shows that unions have significant discretion in how they handle grievances. While unions must represent members fairly, they are not required to pursue every grievance to completion. Workers cannot successfully challenge their union's decisions unless they can prove the union acted for improper reasons, such as discrimination or personal bias. This sets a relatively high bar for employees who disagree with their union's strategic choices about workplace disputes.