Franklin County Sheriff's Department v. Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge No. 9

The determinative issue in this appeal is whether a common pleas court has jurisdiction to render a declaratory judgment with regard to matters brought before SERB in the context of an unfair labor practice charge. For the reasons that follow, we answer such inquiry in the negative, thereby reversing the decision of the court of appeals below.

In State, ex rel. Dayton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 44, v. State Emp. Relations Bd. (1986), 22 Ohio St. 3d 1, 22 OBR 1, 488 N.E. 2d 181, this court noted:

“With the enactment of the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act, Ohio adopted a…