Sunday, February 20, 2011

A matter of public concern

Feb. 20, 2011, Marion Star

BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com

The firefighters union claimed it needed 13 people every shift to keep its community safe.

City leaders said they couldn’t afford the cost. There was impasse over wages and health insurance costs, too.

The disagreement could have led to a strike 27 years ago. But in January 2010, the city of Marion and its union went in front of a neutral arbitrator. He gave the final word, siding with the union on some issues and the city on others. One public labor attorney called it a“rare” good arbitration decision.

That process is at the heart of the debate over public employment that erupted in recent weeks when Ohio’s new Republican leaders introduced a bill to overhaul the process.


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