MAHONING COUNTY Commissioners welcome hearing on Teamsters contract

SERB also cleared commissioners of wrongdoing in rejecting another contract.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A state panel will have a hearing later this year to determine whether Mahoning County commissioners were wrong for not signing a controversial contract with the Teamsters.
A spokesman for commissioners said they're looking forward to the hearing.
The State Employment Relations Board recently ruled there is probable cause to believe commissioners violated labor law by refusing to sign the pact, which affects employees at the county engineer's office.
Atty. Dennis Haines, who represents Teamsters Local 377, said SERB will now file a complaint against the county and a hearing will be scheduled to determine whether commissioners committed an unfair labor practice.
"Our hope is that they will sign the contract now and avoid the need for a complaint and a hearing," Haines said.
Gary Kubic, county administrator, said, however, said that's not going to happen.
"We're looking forward to a hearing," Kubic said. "We want to clarify this issue once and for all."
What happened
At issue is a contract commissioners rejected in March because it contained a $1-an-hour raise in the first year and 65 cents an hour for each of the second two years. It also does not contain a 10 percent employee contribution for health insurance, which commissioners have said they require.
The contract has become a bone of contention because employees began receiving the raises even though commissioners never signed the contract.
Commissioners argue that even though the engineer's budget does not come from the general fund, their signatures are required as the county's budgeting authority.
The union says commissioners had a representative at the bargaining table, so they should have been aware of the raises. That's why it filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the commissioners with SERB.
Kubic said the finding of probable cause does not mean commissioners did anything wrong -- only that SERB feels there is reason enough to go forward with a full hearing.
"The issue still is not settled," Kubic said. "We welcome this hearing and will go at it aggressively."
He said commissioners will subpoena everyone who participated in negotiations to appear as witnesses when a hearing is scheduled.
Clerk of courts workers
SERB also ruled in an unrelated matter that there is no probable cause to believe commissioners were out of line when they rejected a contract earlier this year with unionized employees in the clerk of courts office.
The contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3956 had gone to fact finding for wages only. Union officials said the insurance issue was negotiated and settled months before commissioners began requiring copayment in union contracts.
The union filed a complaint with SERB, but Kubic said the panel declined to rule against the county in that case.
bjackson@vindy.com