Stratford v. Local 134 Ifpte

This is an appeal from the judgment of the Superior Court confirming an arbitration award and concomitantly denying an application to vacate the award. The plaintiff, the town of Stratford, attacks on constitutional and public policy grounds the validity of a provision in its collective bargaining agreement with the named defendant, Local 134, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, under which the municipality must provide all members of the bargaining unit with hypertension or heart disease benefits mandated for municipal fire or police personnel under General Statutes 7-433c. The plaintiff asserts additionally that the trial court erred in denying its application to vacate the arbitration award because the failure of the arbitration panel to address the constitutional and policy issues rendered the award not ""mutual, final and definite,"" as required by General Statutes 52-418. We conclude that neither the challenged bargaining agreement provision nor the contested award violates public policy or any provision of our state constitution. The parties stipulated to the facts. The defendant Warren Johns began working for the plaintiff in the public works department in 1971. At that time Johns passed a physical examination, indicating that he was then free from heart disease. In the years 1975 through [201 Conn. 579]