Click here to view the decision.
58 FLRA No. 37
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 217 and U. S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Augusta, Georgia,(Edgett, Arbitrator), 0-AR-3575 (Decided October 25,2002)
Under § 7122(a) of the Statute, an award is deficient if it is contrary to any law, rule, or regulation; or it is deficient on other grounds similar to those applied by federal courts in private sector labor-management relations. Upon careful consideration of the entire record in this case, and Authority precedent, the Authority concluded that the award was not deficient on the grounds raised in the exceptions and set forth in § 7122(a). The Authority noted that since arbitration awards are not precedential, arbitrators are not bound by awards resolving disputes in other cases. The Authority also rejected the allegation that the award failed to draw its essence from the parties' collective bargaining agreement