Sheriff of Suffolk County v. AFSCME Council 93, Local 419

In April, 2002, the Suffolk County sheriff determined that budget cuts required layoffs within the union’s bargaining unit. Because of the necessary layoffs, the sheriff informed the union that some remaining employees would be assigned to different shifts with attendant changes in scheduled days off and vacations. The union has consistently taken the position that these changes were subject to arbitration under the collective bargaining agreement (agreement). The sheriff, maintaining that the agreement precluded arbitration of shift changes and scheduled days off, brought a complaint in the…