No DFR Breach When Fire Union Balances Competing Priorities Of Members

Craig Gault is a firefighter with the City of Portland, Oregon, and is a member of the bargaining unit rep­resented by the Portland Firefighters’ Association. In 2019, Gault became a Fire Investigator, a job that required specific training. Under Oregon law, Fire Investigators are a form of police officer, and carry firearms. Shortly before Gault…

Federal Court Halts Firefighter Shift Change On Free Speech Grounds

On December 4, 2019, East Chicago Fire Chief Anthony Serna (who has since retired), acting at the direction of Mayor Anthony Cope­land, issued a memorandum to his firefighters that a new schedule would be instituted. The old schedule was the standard 24 hours on, 48 hours off schedule employed by most fire departments in the…

Court Upholds Arbitrator’s ‘Juneteenth’ Decision

The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (PSCOA) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. A provision in the contract states that “whenever the Employer declares a special holiday or part holiday for all employees under the Employer’s jurisdiction, all permanent employees who are required to work on the day on…

‘Two-Female’ Policy Upheld

Shonda Million was a corrections officer for the Warren County Jail in Ohio. The Jail is operated by the Sheriff’s Office. It houses minimum, medium, and maximum security adult inmates of both sexes. Between September 2012 and August 2015, the Jail employed 17–23 female officers and roughly 33–35 male officers, not counting supervisors. The Jail…