City of Palo Alto v. Service Employees International Union

—The City of Palo Alto (City) appeals from an order confirming an arbitration award in favor of Danton Camm, a former city employee, and denying the City’s petition to vacate the award. Camm was fired from the City’s utilities department for threatening to shoot another employee, Brian Bingham, and the members of his family. The arbitrator ordered that Camm be reinstated to his former position.

On appeal, the City argues that the trial court erred by failing to vacate the arbitration award because (1) California has a paramount public policy requiring employers to provide a safe workplace by terminating employees who make threats to the lives of coworkers and reinstatement violates that policy, and (2) the award conflicts with a court-ordered injunction against Camm, which was issued pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8. Camm and the union representing him, Service Employees International Union, Local 715, both argue that the arbitration award does not contravene any public policy. Camm also asserts that the arbitration award does not require the City to violate any term of the injunction since it can assign him other tasks at other locations not specified…