City of Kettering v. State Employment Relations Board

The issue presented is whether R.C. 4117.01(F)(2), which would require Kettering to bargain collectively with a union representing its police command officers, is constitutional and, if so, whether Kettering’s local ordinance runs afoul of that provision. Kettering contends that the management of its police department is a power of local self-government with which the state cannot interfere pursuant to Section 3, Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution.1 The city asserts that membership in a union would lead to divided loyalty among police command officers, thus breaking down its ability to…