Judge tells staff to leave police union

Associated Press

ZANESVILLE, Ohio

A county judge in eastern Ohio ordered members of his staff to quit a police union that supports repealing the state’s new law limiting the union rights of public workers.

Judge Mark Fleegle’s directive last month to leave the local Fraternal Order of Police covered nine court staffers, including an administrator, a bailiff and seven probation officers, FOP Zane Lodge No. 5 president Tom Porter said Thursday.

“They would have loved to remain as members but were told they had to quit,” Porter told The Associated Press.

Porter believes the order is unfair and possibly unconstitutional and is having discussions with Fleegle to try to change his mind.

“We are trying to show him that there are two separate entities of the FOP — a bargaining unit and the lodge that has the goal of working for the betterment of law enforcement,” Porter said.”