House Bill 382, currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly, is an attempt to increase the solvency of Ohio’s unemployment compensation fund (renamed the unemployment compensation insurance fund by the bill), so the fund can better withstand an economic downturn in the future. It does so by a combination of increasing taxes or contributions (referred […]
It happens all too often. A request is made for a public record. Instead of complying with the request, the public agency delays or refuses to supply the record. Until recently, the person making such a request had no recourse except to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit in court. In response to Senate […]
On September 12, 2017, the House unanimously approved the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act (H.R. 931). The bill, introduced by Representatives Chris Collins (R-NY) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), is intended to create a specialized national registry to provide researchers and epidemiologists with the tools and resources they need to improve research activities related to monitoring cancer […]
Substitute House Bill 27, enacted by the Ohio General Assembly on June 28, 2017, and signed by the Governor on June 30, makes several major changes to the workers compensation and the firefighter presumptive cancer laws. Highlights include the following. WORKING WAGE LOSS ADDED FOR CANCER CLAIMANTS. Currently, firefighters who have cancer contracted in the […]
Will fair share fees survive? Since at least 1977, it has been legal for public employee unions to collect fair share fees from non-members to support the collective bargaining operations of the unions. As stated in Abood v. Detroit Bd. of Ed. 431 U. S. 209 (1977): “Insofar as the service charges are used to […]
What is insubordination? Perhaps more importantly, who gets to decide what constitutes insubordination. If an employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement is terminated for insubordination, the Cuyahoga County Court of Appeals has ruled that a neutral arbitrator, in deciding whether there was just cause for the termination, has the authority to not only define […]
Labor arbitrators have traditionally had the authority to modify discipline imposed by employers, based upon the principle that just cause focuses not only on whether the employee committed wrongdoing, but also whether the punishment fits the crime. Employers often don’t like this, believing they, not neutral arbitrators, should decide on the level of punishment. The […]
Cancer all too often has been a consequence of firefighters’ exposure to the hazardous and dangerous chemicals encountered in their jobs. But having that cancer recognized as being job related and being compensated for it has not been easy. That may change, as the State of Ohio has enacted a cancer presumption law, providing that […]
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ISSUES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS PRESENTED AT 2014 FOP OF OHIO ANNUAL CONFERENCE By Henry A. Arnett
NOTICE REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATIONAL PICKETING UNDER 4117 By Henry A. Arnett Livorno and Arnett Co., LPA 1335 Dublin Road, Suite 108-B Columbus, Ohio 43215 Telephone: 614-224-7771 counsel@oapff.org Ohio Revised Code §4117.11(B) provides that it is an unfair labor practice for a public employee organization, its agents, representatives, or public employees to do the following: (8) […]
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