State ex rel. Wilkinson v. Reed

{¶ 1} On March 1, 2000, the state of Ohio and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AFSCME Local 11, AFL-CIO, entered into a collective bargaining agreement effective from March 2000 through February 28, 2003. The union, which includes corrections officers employed by relator Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (“ODRC”), is the sole and exclusive bargaining representative for approximately 37,000 public employees. The collective bargaining agreement contains a five-step grievance procedure culminating in final and binding arbitration.

{¶ 2} In January 2003, ODRC announced…