Professional Engineers in California Government v. State Personnel Board

This dispute involves a decision by respondent California State Personnel Board to merge a professional engineering job class and a nonprofessional or technician job class into one class comprising both groups. The Professional Engineers In California Government (PEICG) filed a petition for writ of mandate to compel the board to set aside its decision combining the classes. The trial court ruled in favor of petitioners. The California League of Engineering and Allied Technical Employees (CLEATE), appellant here, was then allowed to intervene in support of respondent board. The trial dourt entered a judgment in favor of petitioners in accordance with its original decision. The board has not appealed the trial court’s judgment.

Facts

Until about Februaiy 1975, the State Personnel Board had separate job classifications for Associate Transportation Engineers (ATE) who were required to be registered as engineers, and Highway Engineering Associates (HEA) who were not. Starting in 1972, the Department of Public Works—now the Department of Transportation—recommended that the State Personnel Board combine the classes of ATE and HEA, by merging the HEA class, with appropriate…