Rocky River Firefighters Ass'n, Local 659 v. City of Rocky River

681 N.E.2d 509, 84 Ohio Misc. 2d 12, 1996 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 83
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedOctober 4, 1996
DocketNo. 287964
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 681 N.E.2d 509 (Rocky River Firefighters Ass'n, Local 659 v. City of Rocky River) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rocky River Firefighters Ass'n, Local 659 v. City of Rocky River, 681 N.E.2d 509, 84 Ohio Misc. 2d 12, 1996 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 83 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1996).

Opinion

Thomas Patrick Curran, Judge.

This dispute originated as a complaint for declaratory judgment by the Rocky River Firefighters Association, Local 659 of the International Association of Firefighters (hereinafter “Firefighters”). The plaintiff Firefighters contend that the city of Rocky River and its control persons have breached a certain collective bargaining agreement between Rocky River (“employer”) and the Firefighters dated January 20,1994. The preamble to this agreement states:

“It is the purpose of this Agreement to establish proper standards of wages, hours and other conditions of employment and to assure the rights of both employees and the City of Rocky River, representing its citizens.”

The Firefighters contend that the city violated Article 13 of the agreement when the city enacted Rocky River Ordinance 1-95 on January 9, 1995. This ordinance modified the composition of the city’s fire division by eliminating one captain and adding one firefighter.

Each party to this dispute seeks declaratory judgment, and each party has filed cross-motions for summary judgment.

At issue is whether Article 1 of the agreement takes precedence over Article 13. Article 1 provides as follows:

“ARTICLE 1. MANAGEMENT RIGHTS
“Subject to the Constitution and Laws of the State of Ohio and the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Rocky River, and the Articles of this Agreement, the City shall have the exclusive right to manage the operations, control the premises, direct the working forces and maintain efficiency of operations. Specifically, the City’s exclusive rights include, but are not limited to, the sole right to hire, discipline and discharge for just cause; to lay off and promote; to promulgate and enforce reasonable employment rules and regulations; to reorganize, discontinue or enlarge any department or division, to transfer employees (including the assignment and allocation of work) within the division; to introduce new and/or improved equipment, methods and/or facilities, to determine work methods, to determine the size and duties of the work force, the number of shifts required and work schedules; to establish, modify, consolidate or abolish jobs (or classifications) and to determine staffing patterns including, but not limited, to [14]*14assignment of employees, numbers employed, duties to be performed, qualifications required and areas worked.”

Article 13 provides as follows:

“ARTICLE 13. PREVAILING RIGHTS
“All Ordinances relating to wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment in effect at the present time concerning the Fire Division which are not addressed or included in this Agreement shall remain in full force, unchanged or unaffected in any manner, during the term of this Agreement unless changed by mutual consent.”
Firefighters contend that Ordinance 1-95 amended a longstanding fire-manning ordinance without the mutual consent of the Firefighters as mandated by the agreement. The Firefighters contend that there is an ongoing dispute concerning the conditions of employment as well as the interpretation and application of the collective bargaining agreement. The Firefighters filed a grievance on January 20,1995. Thereafter, the parties engaged in an administrative/procedural skirmish leading to the instant litigation.

At the time the Firefighters and the city entered into this agreement, Rocky River maintained a fire-department-manning ordinance that set forth the composition of the fire department. Section 141.01 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Rocky River mandated that the fire department consist of the following:

Fire Chief
Four Captains
Six Lieutenants
Nine Regular Firemen
Three Extra Firemen

The Firefighters contend that this manning ordinance relates' to terms and conditions of employment. Plaintiff contends that any change in the department’s composition affects promotions. The collective bargaining agreement does not address or include within its four corners any issues of manning or composition of the fire department.

The parties to this litigation have entered into many fact stipulations. According to Fact Stipulation No. 9, Ordinance 1-95 was enacted without the consent of the Firefighters. The Firefighters contend that Ordinance 1-95 has the effect of amending Codified Ordinance 141.01 without their consent and that the city breached the prevailing rights clause of the agreement.

The position of the city is that Ordinance 1-95 does not conflict with the prevailing rights clause because Ordinance 1-95 relates exclusively to manage[15]*15ment rights, and, essentially, that the subject matter of Ordinance 1-95 does not pertain to wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment.

Although numerous cases are cited by the adverse parties in support of their respective sides, it appears to this court that this is a case of first impression. No controlling precedent has been cited by either side.

MANAGEMENT RIGHTS

We begin with the observation that, generally speaking, Rocky River has plenary management rights, as are acknowledged by Article I of the agreement. These management rights are distinct from those of Article 13, known as the prevailing rights. The court’s task is not made easier by deciding whether Article I is superior to Article 13 or vice versa. Expressly, Article I grants to the city the power to reorganize, discontinue, or enlarge any department or division. In addition, the city has the power to transfer employees within the division. Other express powers include the power to determine work methods and to determine the size and duties of the workforce.

On the other hand, the prevailing-rights clause of Article 13 implicitly grants to the union the power to veto any ordinances relating to wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment in effect at the time of the execution of the agreement and not otherwise addressed in the agreement. By Ordinance 1-95, the city modified its fire department by eliminating one captain and adding one firefighter. By the letter of the agreement, this modification would seém to satisfy management rights and be unaffected by so-called prevailing rights. However, the city’s management rights are not absolute. Nor can it be said that the union is able to expand the city’s management rights by contract when otherwise such management rights are limited by the Constitution of the state of Ohio and the laws enacted pursuant thereto.

In general, municipalities have the authority to exercise all powers of local self-government and to adopt and enforce within their limits such local police, sanitary, and other regulations which are not in conflict with state law. Sections 3 and 7, Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution.

A municipality, however, may not make personnel decisions that jeopardize the community’s health, safety, and welfare. Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Assn. v. Voinovich (1984), 15 Ohio App.3d 72, 74-75, 15 OBR 101, 103-105, 472 N.E.2d 759, 762-764; see, also, McNea v. Voinovich (1982), 70 Ohio St.2d 117, 24 O.O.3d 193,

Related

Ostertag v. Ostertag
755 N.E.2d 686 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2001)

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Bluebook (online)
681 N.E.2d 509, 84 Ohio Misc. 2d 12, 1996 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rocky-river-firefighters-assn-local-659-v-city-of-rocky-river-ohctcomplcuyaho-1996.