Compton College Federation of Teachers, Local No. 3486 AFT v. Compton Community College District

This case involves denial of sick leave pay to certain teachers who were absent December 3 and 4, 1977, the date of an alleged work stoppage or “sick-out” in the Compton Community College District (hereafter District). Appellant Compton College Federation of Teachers, Local 3486 AFT, AFL-CIO (hereinafter Federation) moved the superior court for a peremptory writ of mandate ordering that sick leave be paid by the District to the entire group of teachers absent during December 3 and 4. The superior court denied the Federation’s petition for writ of mandate and an appeal was taken.

Facts

During collective bargaining negotiations between the District and the Federation, agreement had been reached on some issues but other important issues were unresolved. Two of the District’s executives overheard statements that teachers would engage in a sick-out on December 3 and 4. On November 30, 1979, the president of the District sent a letter to all faculty members that the District would not allow them to use their sick leave for concerted activities and that;

Fifty-seven of the seventy-nine regular full-time teachers employed by the District failed to report to work on Monday,…