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Category: Grievances

When Must Federal Employment Claims Be Arbitrated?

March 3, 2021
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

John Brooks and Gregory Simmons were police officers for the City of Pekin, Illinois. Brooks and Simmons sued the City and a number of Department employees in federal court. They alleged that their problems began when Simmons made an internal harassment complaint against his shift commander, Lieutenant Gregory Burris, which later prompted Officer Jennifer Melton to make a false accusation against Simmons. Brooks, who was ordered to investigate Melton’s…

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City Stuck With Police Director’s Grievance Resolution

November 6, 2020
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

The City of Newark, New Jersey and the Newark Police Superior Officers’ Association (SOA) are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. The SOA represents officers in the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. In 2013, the SOA filed a grievance with the City’s then-Police Director Samuel DeMaio alleging that the City had incorrectly calculated the amounts due to members for their 2010 accrued compensatory time payouts. The payouts did…

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Contracts And Memoranda Of Understanding

November 6, 2020
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| Categories: Collective Bargaining, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

In February 2017, the City of Brook Park, Ohio, passed an ordinance calling for the City to pay $100 per month for the hospitalization and/or medical insurance benefits for a group of retired employees. Lodge 15 of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the City’s police officers, filed a grievance challenging the ordinance. The FOP claimed that the ordinance violated the terms of a 2009 memorandum of understanding…

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Refusal To Abide By Grievance Resolution Is Unfair Labor Practice

July 28, 2020
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News, Unfair Labor Practice

Newark, New Jersey and the Newark Police Superior Officers’ Association are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. On August 5, 2011, the Association filed two grievances alleging that the City had improperly calculated the lump sum vacation payout of two retired captains. The City’s Police Director granted both grievances. When the City failed to pay the captains the sums claimed by the grievances, the Association filed an unfair labor…

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Court Upholds Arbitrator’s Opinion Forbidding Civilianization Without Fire Union’s Consent

July 24, 2020
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| Categories: Arbitration, Arbitration Decisions, Civilianization, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

The City of Columbus, Ohio and Local 67 of the IAFF are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. On October 19, 2015, the City indicated that it had decided to civilianize 17 special assignments then filled by uniformed firefighters, including positions as coordinators in programs known as as Fitness, Special Events, Training, Community Relations and Video and the Public CPR trainer. An arbitrator upheld Local 67’s grievance challenging the…

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Arbitrator Reinstates Officer Accused Of Paying Prostitutes

July 24, 2020
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| Categories: Arbitration, Arbitration Decisions, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

A 17-year veteran police officer working for Columbus, Ohio, referred to only as Officer A, was the subject of an internal affairs complaint. Three different women – Ms. B, Ms. C, and Ms. D – alleged they had sex with Officer A in exchange for cash while he was on duty as a Columbus police officer. All three women reported independent recollections of the encounters with Officer A, and…

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Injunctions And Grievances Don’t Usually Mix

July 22, 2020
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

It is rare for a labor organization to be able to obtain an injunction to prevent a future contract violation. A decision from the Illinois Appellate Court involving the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge No. 7 provides one example of why. Since about 2009, most patrol officers in the Chicago Police Department have had a work schedule in which they work an 8.5-hour shift for four consecutive days…

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County Required To Arbitrate ‘Me-Too’ Grievance

February 28, 2020
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, me too, Public Safety Labor News

The County of Rockland in New York and the Superior Officers Council of the Sheriff’s Corrections Officers Association of Rockland County are parties to a collective bargaining agreement that requires the members of the Association to be paid a certain percentage more than the rate of pay of the corrections officers they supervise. On December 17, 2017, the corrections officers’ union reached an agreement with the County to increase…

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Merits Of Grievance For Arbitrator, Not Court, To Resolve

November 25, 2019
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

The City of Yonkers in New York and the Yonkers Fire Fighters, Local 628 of the IAFF, are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. Article 33 of the CBA, which contains various provisions concerning the City’s EMS Program, includes a provision stating that the “EMS Program shall mean the level of services provided as of the date of this Agreement.” Local 628 filed a grievance regarding a paramedic training…

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Staffing Grievance Is Arbitrable

April 22, 2019
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

The Watertown Firefighters Association in New York filed a grievance contending that the City violated provisions in its labor agreement relating to minimum staffing levels for shifts and regular operations within the City of Watertown’s Fire Department. The City refused to proceed to arbitration, contending that the staffing clauses were “unenforceable job security provisions that violate public policy.” A New York court ordered the City to submit to arbitration….

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What’s The ‘Continuing Violation’ Theory?

May 29, 2018
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

“Limitation periods,” whether imposed by the time requirements in a grievance procedure or a statute of limitations, are generally harsh creatures. If someone wanting to file a claim lets a “limitation period” lapse, the result is almost always the dismissal of the claim. One exception to the usual notion that missing a statute of limitations means the complete loss of a claim is known as the “continuing violation” principle….

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No Need To Exhaust Grievance Procedure On Constitutional Claims

March 13, 2018
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News, Unfair Labor Practice

Steven Helm is a lieutenant with the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Bureau of Police, and is the President of Lodge 29 of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). Helm’s wife has been a prominent critic of the leadership of the Police Bureau. In 2015, Helm filed unfair labor practice charges against the City, alleging that a captain’s negative Facebook posts and other activity by the Bureau was designed to intimidate members…

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Employer’s Beliefs About Grievability No Excuse For Not Processing Grievance

March 13, 2018
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

New Castle County, Delaware is party to a collective bargaining agreement with Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police. On June 27, 2017, Lodge 5 filed a timely grievance on behalf of a probationary officer terminated by the County. The County responded by refusing to “recognize” the grievance and failing to schedule a Step II grievance hearing “or any other hearing associated with the officer’s dismissal.” Lodge 5…

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No More Free Tolls For New Jersey State Troopers

December 27, 2017
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| Categories: Benefits, Grievances, Past Practice, Public Safety Labor News

For many years, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority – independent authorities that operate the State’s major toll roads – allowed State Troopers to travel over those roads in their personal vehicles without paying tolls. As a result, troopers were able to commute to and from work without incurring that expense. Nothing in the State’s collective bargaining agreement with the State Troopers Fraternal Association…

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Captain Entitled To See Notes Taken In Disciplinary Investigation

December 26, 2017
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| Categories: Discipline, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

In June 2015, the Town of Kernersville, North Carolina terminated Fire Captain Kevin Bray, who had served the Fire Department for more than 17 years. Bray’s termination stemmed from a meeting he had with Town Manager Curtis Swisher and the Town’s human resources director to discuss some of Bray’s concerns about the Fire Department. In response to Bray’s concerns, Swisher interviewed other employees and took notes during the interviews….

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Q & A

August 25, 2016
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| Categories: Grievances, Internal Affairs Issues, Privacy Rights, Public Records, Public Safety Labor News, Questions and Answers

From Washington Question: Are you familiar with cases where IA investigator pre-interviews complainant for two hours before going on tape but makes no reference to the pre-interview or provides any notes on the pre-interview in the IA file? Answer: This is a practice that used to be fairly common, but by now has largely disappeared in the name of transparency of the IA process. We wouldn’t recommend it. From…

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Arbitrator, Not Court, Determines Whether Grievance Is Timely

March 31, 2016
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

In June 2012, the Village of Tequesta, Florida terminated Officer John Cox’s employment. A collective bargaining agreement between Cox’s union and the Village provided for termination “for just cause.” The agreement set forth a three-step grievance and arbitration procedure to be followed in the event an employee challenged his or her termination. When the Village refused to process Cox’s grievance to arbitration, he brought a lawsuit seeking to compel…

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Firefighter Promotional Grievance Held Arbitrable

March 1, 2016
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| Categories: Grievances, Promotions, Public Safety Labor News

The City of Lockport, New York and the Lockport Professional Firefighters Association are parties to a collective bargaining agreement that defines a grievance as including “all claimed violations of any contract existing between the City and the employees covered by” the CBA. After the City’s Civil Service Commission created a new Municipal Training Officer position within the Fire Department, the City and the Association negotiated the terms and conditions…

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Disciplinary Transfer Held Subject To Grievance Procedure

January 5, 2016
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| Categories: Discipline, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News, Transfers

Sergeant Charles Jenkins works for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as a property crimes supervisor. In February 2011, after investigating an internal complaint against him, the Department issued Jenkins a written reprimand for violating its harassment and discrimination policy. The reprimand, which Jenkins signed, did not mention a transfer to a new assignment. Nonetheless, the Department transferred Jenkins on the same day he signed the reprimand. The transfer…

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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Verdict Against Fire Union

September 2, 2014
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News, Retaliation

Anthony Booth and Jerry Brown were emergency services workers for the Emergency Services Department in Pasco County, Florida, and were members of Local 4420 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Both worked in the Department’s Station 14. In June 2007, Booth filed a Department grievance against the captain who supervised the station. The captain’s boss had warned Booth that he would be transferred if he filed a grievance,…

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Retirees Not ‘Members’ For Purposes Of Grievance Procedure

July 2, 2014
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

Philip Buff is a retired firefighter who worked for the Village of Manlius, New York. Buff sued the Village, seeking an order compelling to pay 80% of Buff’s health insurance plan premiums. Buff alleged that the Village paid that percentage when he was employed, pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between the Village and the union representing Village firefighters. A trial court dismissed Buff’s complaint on…

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Firefighters’ Past Practice Grievance Subject To Arbitration

June 4, 2014
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| Categories: Arbitration, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

The collective bargaining agreement between the City of Orange, Texas and the Orange Association of Firefighters contains a grievance procedure with fairly standard wording. The contract defines as a grievance: “Any controversy between the City and the Union or any employee concerning the interpretation, enforcement, or application of any provision of this Agreement, or concerning any of the terms or conditions of employment contained in this Agreement.” When the…

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Union Entitled To Sick Leave Records Of Supervisors

September 4, 2013
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| Categories: Grievances, Public Safety Labor News, Sick Leave

Part of the obligation to collectively bargain in good faith is the obligation to exchange information about mandatory subjects of bargaining. This obligation frequently arises in a grievance arbitration setting, where either the employer or the union is seeking records in the other’s possession. A slight twist on the usual case occurred in Newark, New Jersey, where Lodge 12 of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) was processing four…

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The Importance Of How A Grievance Procedure Is Worded

September 3, 2013
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| Categories: Collective Bargaining, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

Often, the parties to collective bargaining agreements pay little attention to how a grievance procedure is worded, simply renewing the old version of the grievance procedure each time a new contract is negotiated. A recent case from the Illinois Court of Appeals illustrates why the specific wording of a grievance procedure can be critical in how a contract will be interpreted. The case involved William Kovarik, a police officer…

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Los Angeles Required To Arbitrate Grievances Challenging Furloughs

August 1, 2013
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| Categories: Arbitration, Furloughs and Layoffs, Grievances, Public Safety Labor News

After declaring a fiscal emergency, the City of Los Angeles adopted a mandatory furlough program for its civilian employees. Many employees represented by unions filed grievances against the City, arguing that the furloughs violated memoranda of understanding (California’s equivalent of a collective bargaining agreement) governing the terms and conditions of their employment. When their grievances were denied, these employees requested arbitration, and when the City refused to arbitrate, their…

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