Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union v. Commissioner of Correction

A dispute arose between the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (union) and the Department of Correction (department) as to whether a union member (Salmon) had been properly demoted for just cause. The union filed a grievance, pursuant to its collective bargaining agreement with the department, and the case was eventually heard by an arbitrator. The arbitrator directed the department to “rescind the demotion and to substitute in its place a twenty workday unpaid suspension,” as well as to “make [the grievant] whole for lost pay and benefits, less the amount represented by the…