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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS OF WEST VIRGINIA
January 1995 Term
_____________
No. 22726
_____________
MARY AKERS AND CHARLENE BOGGS,
Petitioners Below, Appellants
v.
WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TAX AND REVENUE,
Respondent Below, Appellee
___________________________________________________________
Appeal from the Circuit Court of Kanawha County
Honorable Lyne Ranson, Judge
Civil Action No. 89-AA-203
AFFIRMED
___________________________________________________________
Submitted: May 10, 1995
Filed: July 11, 1995
James M. Haviland, Esq.
Jeffrey G. Blaydes, Esq.
Crandall, Pyles & Haviland
Charleston, West Virginia
Attorneys for the Appellants
Darrell V. McGraw, Jr., Esq.
Attorney General
Barry L. Koerber, Esq.
Scott E. Johnson, Esq.
Assistant Attorneys General
Charleston, West Virginia
Attorneys for the Appellee
The Opinion of the Court was delivered PER CURIAM.
JUSTICE BROTHERTON AND JUSTICE RECHT did not participate.
RETIRED JUSTICE MILLER and JUDGE FOX sitting by temporary
assignment.
SYLLABUS BY THE COURT
1. "A valid written instrument which expresses the
intent of the parties in plain and unambiguous language is not
subject to judicial construction or interpretation but will be
applied and enforced according to such intent." Syllabus Point 1,
Cotiga Development Co. v. United Fuel Gas Co., 147 W. Va. 484, 128
S.E.2d 626 (1962).
2. "A final order of the hearing examiner for the West
Virginia Educational Employees Grievance Board, made pursuant to
W. Va. Code, 18-29-1, et seq. (1985), and based upon findings of
fact, should not be reversed unless clearly wrong." Syllabus Point
1, Randolph County Bd. of Ed. v. Scalia, 182 W. Va. 289, 387 S.E.2d
524 (1989).
Per Curiam:
This dispute concerns the civil service classifications
of Mary Akers and Charlene Boggs, employees of the West Virginia
Department of Tax and Revenue (Tax Department). Both Ms. Akers and
Ms. Boggs maintain that their positions should be classified as
Audit Clerk III, a higher classification with more pay than their
present classification. After the Circuit Court of Kanawha County
upheld the level IV decisions of the West Virginia Education and
State Employees Grievance Board (Board) refusing to upgrade the
classifications of Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs to Audit Clerk III, they
appealed to this Court.See footnote 1 On appeal, Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs
maintain: (1) Because this Court in American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees v. Civil Service Com'n of West
Virginia, 181 W. Va. 8, 380 S.E.2d 43 (1989)(AFSCME IV) recognized
Audit Clerk III as their proper classification, the only remaining
issue is the amount of back pay; and (2) In the event the
classification issue is not foreclosed, Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs
allege that the record establishes that because they have performed
the same work as others with the higher classification, they are
entitled to be reclassified and to the resultant back pay. Because
Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs entered a settlement agreement with the Tax
Department, neither is entitled to the AFSCME IV acknowledgment that "the parties hereto have already been determined to have
worked out of classification" (181 W. Va. at 14, 380 S.E.2d at 49),
and they have not established that they performed the work of the
higher classification, we affirm the decision of the circuit court.
I
During Ms. Akers' employment with the Tax Department from
December 16, 1978 until December 31, 1988, she was, at various
times, classified as a Clerk III, Audit Clerk I and Audit Clerk II.
In a letter to the West Virginia Civil Service Commission (Civil
Service Commission) dated May 5, 1986, Ms. Akers claimed she should
be classified as an Audit Clerk III from December 16, 1978 until
December 1, 1985.See footnote 2 Ms. Akers maintains that because she performed
the same work as persons classified as Audit Clerk III, her
position should be similarly classified.
During the level IV hearing, Ms. Akers said that she
"examined tax returns to determine if the proper amount of tax was
paid. . . [by] reviewing the file, the taxpayers [sic] files, and
auditing the returns." In addition to dealing with the necessary correspondence with taxpayers, accountants, public officials and
city employees, Ms. Akers would issue "estimate assessments [sic]
liens and distress warrants."
Ms. Boggs, who began working for the Tax Department in
October 1976, was classified as an Audit Clerk I from February 1,
1979 to December 1, 1985.See footnote 3 In a letter to the Civil Service
Commission dated May 5, 1986, Ms. Boggs claimed she should have
been classified as an Audit Clerk III from August 1, 1979 until
December 1, 1985.See footnote 4 Ms. Boggs also maintains that because other
workers classified as Audit Clerk III in the Tax Department performed the same work as she, she should be reclassified as a
Audit Clerk III.
At the level IV hearing, Ms. Boggs testified that as a
Corporate Net Income Tax employee, she was "responsible for the
internal audit of the return, issue and billing assessments of tax,
liens and warrants." She noted that she had to be familiar with
various other taxes, tax credits and accounting procedures and for
out of state corporations the "allocation of their income and
apportioning of income to domicile and. . . various factors that's
determined by law; payroll, property, [sic] sales." Ms. Boggs
computed the tax liability and handled the resultant correspondence
and attempts to resolve the tax matter.
The Tax Department maintains that neither Ms. Akers nor
Ms. Boggs worked out-of-classification because neither performed
the on-site work contained in the Civil Service Commission's job
description for an Audit Clerk III. The job description for Audit
Clerk III provides, in pertinent part:
Nature of Work: This is responsible work in
examining books and records of government
units or private businesses subject to state
regulations. Employees of this class are
responsible for auditing subsidiary books and
records maintained by individuals and private
industry in enforcing special tax and
regulatory laws. Work is subject to analysis
and review while in progress and upon
completion by a supervising auditor, and
employees are given general instruction as to
methods, procedures and objectives. (Emphasis
added.)
Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs were among the relators in AFSCME
III)(a mandamus proceeding directing the Civil Service Commission
to submit a plan to implement our decisions in American Federation
of State, County, and Municipal Employees v. Civil Service Com'n of
West Virginia, 174 W. Va. 221, 324 S.E.2d 363 (1984)(AFSCME I)
(recognizing work performed out of classification is compensable)
and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
v. Civil Service Com'n of West Virginia, 176 W. Va. 73, 341 S.E.2d
693 (1985)(AFSCME II)(per curiam)(recognizing full back pay as the
remedy for work performed out of classification)).See footnote 5 However,
neither Ms. Akers nor Ms. Boggs was a petitioner in AFSCME I or
AFSCME II; rather, their claims were not sent to the Civil Service
Commission until May 5, 1986, which was after our decisions in
AFSCME I and AFSCME II.
Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs were among the petitioners in
AFSCME IV, but before our decision in AFSCME IV, which was filed on
March 28, 1989, Ms. Akers, Ms. Boggs and other Tax Department
employees entered into a settlement agreement to resolve "the amount of back pay owing to the above-mentioned individual
petitioners by December 27, 1988." The settlement agreement
between AFSCME and the Civil Service Commission was filed in this
Court on December 5, 1988 (the settlement agreement) and pertains
to eleven AFSCME IV petitioners including Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs.
As a result of the settlement agreement, the parties jointly moved
this Court to "dismiss the existing Rule to Show Cause as to the
Tax Department." The settlement agreement was approved in AFSCME
IV, 181 W. Va. at 15 n. 22, 380 S.E.2d at 50 n. 22, which states:
We approve of all settlements previously
entered into by AFSCME and state employers as
consistent with this opinion.
According to the settlement agreement, the Tax Department
and the settling employees, including Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs, will
provide the other with information of their positions "on the
period of time of misclassification and the amount of back pay
owing."See footnote 6 Finally, the parties agreed that "whose claims not resolved by December 27, 1988" would be subject "to expedited
arbitration at level four, West Virginia Code 29A-6A-4(d) for
resolution by a hearing examiner," whose jurisdiction would not be
objected to by the parties.See footnote 7 The settlement agreement also
contains provisions for other pending cases, which are called
"pipeline cases."See footnote 8
Because Ms. Akers, Ms. Boggs and the Tax Department did
not agree by the deadline, December 27, 1988, the matter was considered by a Board's hearing examiner at a level IV hearing.See footnote 9
At the level IV hearing, Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs maintained that
they had, in fact, performed the work of the higher classification.
The Tax Department alleged that there had been no previous
determination that either Ms. Akers or Ms. Boggs had performed the
work of an Audit Clerk III.
In both cases, the hearing examiner found that because
neither Ms. Akers nor Ms. Boggs had performed the work of an Audit
Clerk III, neither was entitled to back pay. After a consolidated
appeal, the circuit court upheld the level IV decisions and both
parties appealed to this Court.See footnote 10
II
The threshold question concerns whether the level IV
hearing examiner should have considered the merits of Ms. Akers and
Ms. Boggs' contention that they worked out of classification. Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs allege that AFSCME IV foreclosed the
consideration of the merits of the out of classification question.
The Tax Department alleges that the level IV hearing was the first
and only determination of the merits of Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs'
allegation that they worked out of classification.
A
Although Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs were petitioners in both
AFSCME III and AFSCME IV, neither decision reached a conclusion
concerning the merits of whether these two employees worked out of
classification. In AFSCME III, we granted relief because the Civil
Service Commission "failed to resolve promptly the job
classification problems of the petitioners." Slip op. at 5. We
also indicated that the merits of the petitioners' out of
classification work contention were not clear, by stating:
If each of the petitioners in this case worked
in a job classification higher than the one to
which each was assigned, each is entitled to
back pay for the entire pay period which each
worked in the higher job classification.
AFSCME III, supra note 4, slip op. at 4.
AFSCME IV primarily discussed the employees of the
Department of Human Resources who were petitioners in the "cases
traceable to the early 1980s," namely, the petitioners in AFSCME I
and AFSCME II. 181 W. Va. at 9, 380 S.E.2d at 44. Thus our
conclusion that "[o]ur review of the record reveals that the
parties hereto have already been determined to have worked out of classification" (181 W. Va. at 14, 380 S.E.2d at 49) refers to
these original AFSCME I and AFSCME II petitioners. We recognized
that AFSCME also represented employees, whose back pay claims were
filed after our decision in AFSCME I.
In addition to the parties hereto, AFSCME
represents other employees who filed back pay
claims subsequent to our decision in AFSCME v.
Civil Serv. Comm'n, 174 W. Va. 221, 324 S.E.2d
363 (1984)(AFSCME I). These cases have not
been finally determined.
AFSCME IV, 181 W. Va. at 9 n. 1, 380 S.E.2d at 44 n. 1. Our
conclusion that the merits of out of classification work had been
determined, did not apply to the claims filed after our AFSCME I
and AFSCME II decisions. In this case, Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs
were not petitioners in either AFSCME I or AFSCME II and no
determination had been made concerning the merits of their out of
classification claims. Therefore, the claims of Ms. Akers and Ms.
Boggs involved more that the "issue of back pay." AFSCME IV, 181
W. Va. at 14, 380 S.E.2d at 49.
We also note that Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs settled with
the Tax Department before the AFSCME IV decision and therefore,
were not parties to the decision.See footnote 11 Because of their settlement, the claims of Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs were dismissed. AFSCME IV,
181 W. Va. at 14-15, 380 S.E.2d at 49-50. Therefore, we reject the
attempt by Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs to have the AFSCME IV conclusion
that "the parties hereto have already been determined to have
worked out of classification" apply to them.
B
The settlement agreement between the parties allows the
Board's level IV hearing examiner to resolve any claims not settled
by December 27, 1988. This Court has long held that a valid
written agreement using plain and unambiguous language is to be
enforced according to its plain intent and should not be construed.
The rule is set forth in Syllabus pt. 1, Cotiga Development Co. v.
United Fuel Gas Co., 147 W. Va. 484, 128 S.E.2d 626 (1962), which
states:
A valid written instrument which expresses the
intent of the parties in plain and unambiguous
language is not subject to judicial
construction or interpretation but will be
applied and enforced according to such intent.
See Syllabus pt. 2, Orteza v. Monongalia County General Hospital,
173 W. Va. 461, 318 S.E.2d 40 (1984)("[w]here the terms of a contract are clear and unambiguous, they must be applied and not
construed").
The settlement agreement between the Tax Department and
its employees including Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs, attempted "to
resolve the back pay owing" through an exchange of information on
their respective positions "on the period of time of
misclassification and the amount of back pay owing." See supra
note 6, for the complete text of the settlement agreement's first
paragraph. For claims unresolved by December 27, 1988, "the
settling parties agree[d] to submit the matter to expedited
arbitration at level four" and to forbear from "assert[ing] any
objections to the jurisdiction of the hearing examiner to consider
this matter." See supra note 7, for the complete text of the
settlement agreement's third paragraph.
In this case, the parties agree that they did not reach
a mutually agreeable resolution by the December 27, 1988 deadline
and that the matter was submitted to a level IV hearing. The level
IV hearing examiner concluded that because there was no "period of
time of misclassification," no back pay was owed. Although Ms.
Akers and Ms. Boggs maintain that the settlement agreement
recognized that they were owed back pay, by its plain and
unambiguous terms, the settlement agreement allows the level IV
hearing examiner to determine the "period of time of
misclassification and the amount of back pay owing." The
settlement agreement does not preclude the hearing examiner from determining that there was no period of misclassification and no
back pay owing. Given the terms of the settlement agreement, we
find that the hearing examiner properly considered the "period of
time of misclassification and the amount of back pay owing."
III
During the level IV hearing, the primary evidence of
misclassification presented by Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs was that
they performed the same work as other Tax Department employees
classified as Audit Clerk III. Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs concede
that they did not do the work described in the written job
description of Audit Clerk III. See supra p. 4, for the Audit Clerk
III's written job description. The Tax Department maintains that
neither presented any evidence that she examined "books and records
of government units or private businesses" or audited "subsidiary
books and records maintained by individuals or private industry,"
as specified in the Audit Clerk III's written job description.
Rather Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs maintain that because
others enjoyed a higher classification and performed the same work
that they performed, they should be similarly misclassified. Both
note that our AFSCME cases stand for the proposition of "equal pay
for equal work,' as set forth in W.Va. Code, 29-6-10(2)." (Footnote
omitted.) AFSCME IV, 181 W. Va. at 10, 380 S.E.2d at 45.
However, when this principle was applied, we have considered the
actual duties performed. Thus in AFSCME I, because the
"petitioners had been performing the duties of an Economic Service Worker III," (AFSCME I, 174 W. Va. at 222, 324 S.E.2d at 365), we
found the AFSCME I petitioners were entitled to a higher
classification. AFSCME I, 174 W. Va. at 224-25, 324 S.E.2d at 367.
The hearing examiner considered the written job
descriptions for Audit Clerk I, II and III and concluded that Audit
Clerk I and II were basically "tax review positions" and that an
Audit Clerk III involves "review of other, more detailed records
generally maintained on the premises of the subject 'government
unit or private business.'" See footnote 12 The hearing examiner noted that June
Sydenstricker, the Tax Department's Personnel Officer, explained
that the Audit Clerk III classification had been used to promote
deserving senior staff members without regard to work performed.
Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs argue that because they perform the same
work as the misclassified Audit Clerk III employees, they should be
similarity misclassified. In rejecting this argument, the hearing examiner noted that many positions are misclassified and to
legitimize such actions would "serve to undermine the basis of the
classification plan and the principle of personnel and pay
administration on which it is founded."
The level IV hearing examiner concluded that because
neither Ms. Akers nor Ms. Boggs had performed the duties of an
Audit Clerk III, neither was entitled to the higher classification.
The circuit court, in a consolidated appeal, affirmed the decisions
of the hearing examiner and also found that AFSCME IV did not
preclude the hearing examiner from considering whether Ms. Akers or
Ms. Boggs had performed the work of a higher classification.
Syllabus pt. 1, Randolph County Bd. of Educ. v. Scalia,
182 W. Va. 289, 387 S.E.2d 524 (1989) states:
A final order of the hearing examiner for
the West Virginia Educational Employees
Grievance Board, made pursuant to W. Va. Code,
18-29-1, et seq. (1985), and based upon
findings of fact, should not be reversed
unless clearly wrong.
See Syllabus, Billings v. Civil Service Com'n, 154 W. Va. 688, 178
S.E.2d 801 (1971)(findings of the Civil Service Commission will not
be reversed "unless it is clearly wrong"); Syllabus pt. 3, Pockl v.
Ohio County Bd. of Educ., 185 W. Va. 256, 406 S.E.2d 687 (1991).
In this case, the record shows that neither Ms. Akers nor
Ms. Boggs performed the work of an Audit Clerk III. Neither
reviewed the more detailed records generally maintained on the
premises of government units or private businesses. Neither audited subsidiary books or records maintained by individual or
private industry. Although the record shows that others were
misclassified into the Audit Clerk III position, no justification
was provided to continue this misclassification.
Syl. pt. 1, Dillon v. Bd. of Educ. of County of Mingo,
171 W. Va. 631, 301 S.E.2d 588 (1983), states:
"Interpretations of statutes by bodies
charged with their administration are given
great weight unless clearly erroneous."
Syllabus Point 4, Security National Bank &
Trust Co. v. First W. Va. Bancorp., Inc.,
[166] W. Va. [775], 277 S.E.2d 613 (1981),
appeal dismissed, 454 U.S. 1131, 102 S.Ct.
986, 71 L.Ed.2d 284.
See Syllabus pt. 2, Hardy County Bd. of Educ. v. W. Va. Division of
Labor, 191 W. Va. 251, 445 S.E.2d 192 (1994); W. Va.
Nonintoxicating Beer Com'r v. A & H Tavern, 181 W. Va. 364, 382
S.E.2d 558 (1989); State by Davis v. Hix, 141 W. Va. 385, 389, 90
S.E.2d 357, 359-60 (1955)("[w]here the language of the statute is
of doubtful meaning or ambiguous, rules of construction may be
resorted to and the construction of such statute by the person
charged with the duty of executing the same is accorded great
weight").
In this case, the parties agreed that neither Ms. Akers
nor Ms. Boggs performed the work as described in the Audit Clerk
III classification. The Tax Department presented evidence that the
Audit Clerk III position described an employee who reviews detailed
records generally maintained outside the Department by a governmental unit or private business or was involved with
enforcing a special tax or regulatory law. The Tax Department
alleged that except for the position of Field Agent, no one in the
Department performed the detailed review. Although some Tax
Department employees' positions were misclassified as Audit Clerk
III, no justification for continuing the misclassification was
presented. Indeed, the Tax Department's mid-1980s study and
reclassification project should have eliminated the
misclassifications.
For the above stated reasons, the judgment of the Circuit
Court of Kanawha County is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Footnote: 1
Although the Board considered the cases separately, Ms. Akers
and Ms. Boggs presented a consolidated appeal to the circuit court
from which they now appeal to this Court.
Footnote: 2
Effective December 1, 1985, Ms. Akers was promoted to a Tax
Audit Clerk II, which is in a new series established as a result of
a Tax Department classification study in the mid-1980s. June
Sydenstricker, the Tax Department's Personnel Officer, recommended
in a January 28, 1985 memo that Ms. Akers' position be reclassified
to a Tax Audit Clerk II. Ms. Sydenstricker also said:
In the absence of this action taking place
within the next fifteen days, I recommend your
position be allocated to Audit Clerk III to
realign the position to that classification
indicating the greater complexity of this
series.
Footnote: 3
Effective December 1, 1985, Ms. Boggs was promoted to an Tax
Audit Clerk II, which is part of a new position series established
as a result of a mid-1980s Tax Department study. Ms.
Sydenstricker, the Tax Department's Personnel Officer, recommended
in a January 28, 1985 memo that Ms. Boggs' position be reclassified
to a Tax Audit Clerk II. Ms. Sydenstricker also said:
In the absence of this action taking place
within the next fifteen days, I recommend your
position be allocated to Audit Clerk III to
realign the position to that classification
indicating the greater complexity of this
series.
Footnote: 4
In the petition of American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees v. Civil Service Com'n of West Virginia, No.
17929 (W.Va. May 20, 1988)(AFSCME III)(per curiam order), Ms.
Boggs' job title was listed as Tax Audit Clerk II and the period
for which she claimed back wages was October 16, 1976 to December
1, 1985. At the level IV hearing, Ms. Boggs requested back pay
from February 1, 1979 through December 1, 1985.
During the level IV hearing, the hearing examiner noted that
because Ms. Boggs did not contend that she should have been
classified as an Audit Clerk II, any claim in that regard was
deemed abandoned.
Footnote: 5
See AFSCME IV, 181 W. Va. at 9, 380 S.E.2d at 44, for a brief
summary of the earlier cases. In AFSCME I, we did not find that
all the petitioners meet the description of the higher civil
service category and said that on remand the status of such
petitioners should be re-examined. AFSCME I, 174 W. Va. at 223 n.
4, 324 S.E.2d at 365 n. 4. In AFSCME II, the petitioners included
the AFSCME I petitioners and two additional relators. The status
of each petitioner was reviewed (176 W. Va. at 76-77, 341 S.E.2d at
696-97) and we concluded that all the petitioners were entitled to
full back pay "for the entire period during which they worked out
of classification." AFSCME II, 176 W. Va. at 79-80, 341 S.E.2d at
699.
Footnote: 6
The settlement agreement states, in pertinent part:
(1) AFSCME and the Tax Department will
attempt to resolve the amount of back pay
owing the above-mentioned individual
petitioners by December 27, 1988. As part of
this process, the Tax Department will
immediately provide AFSCME and the individual
petitioners sufficient information concerning
the department's position on the period of
time of misclassification and the amount of
back pay owing. AFSCME will likewise
immediately provide the department with their
position on the period of time of
misclassification and the amount of back pay
owing.
Footnote: 7
The settlement agreement states, in pertinent part:
(3) As to those individuals referred to in
¶s 1 and 2 above, whose claims are not
resolved by December 27, 1988, the settling
parties agree that the above specified
procedures shall be deemed compliance with the
first three steps of the arbitration procedure
as set forth in W.Va. Code § 29A-6A-4 and the
settling parties agree to submit the matter to
expedited arbitration at level four, West
Virginia Code 29A-6A-4(d) for resolution by a
hearing examiner. The parties agree that they
will not assert any objections to the
jurisdiction of the hearing examiner to
consider this matter and that this agreement
will become part of the record at level four.
Footnote: 8
Paragraph 3 of the settlement agreement provided for an
information exchange for "the 'pipeline' cases for employees of the
Tax Department" (see supra note 6, for the information to be
exchanged) and to "provide each other with information sufficient
for an evaluation on the merits of the back pay owed for each of
these ['pipeline'] claims or potential claims and the period of
misclassification."
Footnote: 9
According to the Tax Department's brief, except for Ms.
Akers, Ms. Boggs and one other employee, all of the Tax
Department's employees who were AFSCME IV petitioners, settled
without the necessity of a level IV hearing. Although Ms. Akers
and Ms. Boggs argue that the Tax Department's offer indicates that
the Tax Department agrees that they were entitled to back pay, the
mere offer to settle does not necessarily acknowledge the validity
of a claim. See Rule 408 [1985] of the W.Va.R.Evid.; Schartiger v.
Land Use Corp., 187 W. Va. 612, 616-17, 420 S.E.2d 883, 887-88
(1991).
Footnote: 10
Because of our decision in W.Va. Department of Health & Human
Resources v. Hess, 189 W. Va. 357, 432 S.E.2d 27 (1993)(appeal to
circuit court of an administrative decision must be filed within
thirty "working," rather than, "calendar" days), the case was
remanded to the circuit court, which had previously dismissed Ms.
Akers' and Ms. Boggs' appeal of their level IV decisions for
failing to file within thirty calendar days.
Footnote: 11
Ms. Akers and Ms. Boggs argue that because we approved the
"settlements previously entered into by AFSCME and the state
employers as consistent with this opinion" (AFSCME IV, 181 W. Va.
at 15 n. 22, 380 S.E.2d at 50 n. 22), they are entitled to no less
than the non-settling petitioners. However unlike the Department
of Human Resources' employees, the merits of whose claims had been
addressed in AFSCME I and AFSCME II, the claims of Ms. Akers and
Ms. Boggs had not been examined on their merits. Although Ms.
Akers and Ms. Boggs are entitled to the extensive procedural relief
outlined in the AFSCME cases, the record does not justify any
conclusion concerning the merits of their claims. Ms. Akers and
Ms. Boggs cannot piggyback their claim onto the AFSCME IV claims,
whose merits had been extensively addressed.
Footnote: 12
The job description for Audit Clerk I provides:
Under close supervision, an employee in this
class receives and audits accounts and/or
reports for completeness and accuracy.
Assignments are reviewed by an administrative
superior upon completion for conformity with
departmental rules and policies.
The job description for Audit Clerk II provides:
Under general supervision,. . . performs
advanced level sub-professional auditing work
in checking reports for completeness and
accuracy. Evaluates the compliance of data
with prescribed laws, rules or regulations.
Employee may also supervise lower level audit
clerks and other clerical personnel.
See supra p.4 for the job description for Audit Clerk III.