Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 v. City of Monrovia

This case presents the question of whether a city which recognizes its employees association as “the only organized group who can speak on behalf ... of City employees” in their employment relations must recognize an outside union as the representative of those employees who are members thereof.

Facts

Since 1953 the employees of the City of Monrovia have been represented in their employment relations with the city by the Monrovia Municipal Employees Association. The association has a written constitution and by-laws; its membership is open on a voluntary basis to all employees of the city; and it is governed by an elected board of directors, a specified number of which must be from each department of the city. The procedure employed by the city in handling employment relations has been that during March and April of each year the association would appoint representatives from each department of the city to confer with representatives of the city on wages, salaries, hours and working conditions on behalf of the employees of their respective departments; the results of these conferences were then reported to the city council; after review thereof and public hearings…