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by Contract Number (PDF) - OCSEA

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the captain. The employer removed the grievant<br />

for misuse of his position for personal gain, and<br />

giving preferential treatment to an inmate, 44<br />

days after the pre-disciplinary hearing, and he<br />

received notice of his removal on the 46th day<br />

after the pre-disciplinary hearing. The arbitrator<br />

held that the employer proved that the grievant<br />

offered the inmate personal and legal assistance<br />

in exchange for information. The investigation<br />

was proper as it was a full investigation and it<br />

was conducted <strong>by</strong> persons not reporting to<br />

anyone involved in the events. It was found that<br />

the investigation needed not be exhaustive and<br />

the hearing officer’s report need not contain all<br />

information, only relevant information, thus the<br />

grievance was denied. 372<br />

The grievant was a Corrections Officer who was<br />

removed for watching inmates play cards while<br />

they were outside their housing unit. The<br />

grievant admitted this act to his sergeant. The<br />

pre-disciplinary hearing had been rescheduled<br />

due to the grievant’s absence and was held<br />

without the grievant or the employer’s<br />

representative present. The arbitrator found that<br />

because the union representative did not object to<br />

the absence of the employer’s representative that<br />

requirement had been waived. There was also no<br />

error <strong>by</strong> the employer in failing to produce<br />

inmates’ statements as they had not been used to<br />

support discipline. The removal order was timely<br />

as the 45 day limit does not start until a predisciplinary<br />

hearing is held, not merely<br />

scheduled. 377<br />

The grievant was employed as a Salvage<br />

Processor who was responsible for signing off on<br />

forms after dangerous goods had been destroyed.<br />

He was removed for falsification of documents<br />

after it was found that he had signed off on forms<br />

for which the goods had not been destroyed. The<br />

arbitrator found that despite minor differences,<br />

the signature on the forms was that of the<br />

grievant. The employer was found to have<br />

violated just cause <strong>by</strong> not investigating the<br />

grievant’s allegation that the signature was<br />

forged, and <strong>by</strong> failing to provide information to<br />

the union so that it could investigate the<br />

incidents. The employer was found not to have<br />

met its burden of proof despite the grievant’s<br />

prior discipline. 398<br />

The grievant had been a Drivers’ License<br />

Examiner for 13 months. He was removed for<br />

falsification when he changed an applicant’s<br />

score from failing to passing on a Commercial<br />

Drivers’ License examination. The arbitrator<br />

found that the grievant knew he was violating the<br />

employer’s rules and rejected the union’s<br />

mitigating factors that the grievant had no prior<br />

discipline and did not benefit from his acts.<br />

Falsification of license examination scores was<br />

found serious enough to warrant removal for the<br />

first offense. The arbitrator also rejected<br />

arguments of disparate treatment. The grievance<br />

was denied. 403<br />

The grievant was removed for misuse of his<br />

position for personal gain after his supervisor<br />

noticed that the grievant, an investigator for the<br />

Bureau of Employment Services, had received an<br />

excessive number of personal telephone calls<br />

from a private investigator. The Ohio Highway<br />

Patrol conducted an investigation in which the<br />

supervisor turned over 130-150 notes from the<br />

grievant’s work area and it was discovered that<br />

the grievant had disclosed information to three<br />

private individuals, one of whom admitted<br />

paying the grievant. The arbitrator found that the<br />

employer proved that the grievant violated Ohio<br />

Revised Code section 4141.21 <strong>by</strong> disclosing<br />

confidential information for personal gain. The<br />

agency policy for this violation calls for removal.<br />

The employer’s evidence was uncontroverted<br />

and consisted of the investigating patrolman’s<br />

testimony, transcribed interviews of those who<br />

received the information, and the grievant’s<br />

supervisor’s testimony. The grievant’s 13 years<br />

seniority was an insufficient mitigating<br />

circumstance and the grievance was denied. 408<br />

The arbitrator recognizes the employer's right to<br />

implement and enforce a drug policy but<br />

cautions that enforcement of such a policy<br />

cannot be done in violation of the provisions of<br />

the <strong>Contract</strong>. First, the arbitrator points out that<br />

the employer is not required to remove an<br />

employee upon his/her first drug offense. The<br />

arbitrator concluded that the discipline was not<br />

progressive in light of the grievant's past<br />

discipline. Further, the arbitrator finds that the<br />

phrase "in any way" does not include possession<br />

of drugs. As for the absenteeism problem, there<br />

is no doubt that it exists. However, removal is<br />

too severe a punishment for such actions. The<br />

grievance is sustained. The removal is set aside<br />

and reduced to a ten day suspension. This award<br />

is conditioned upon the grievant's participation in<br />

and compliance with her Employer's Employee<br />

Assistance Program. The grievant is further<br />

placed on notice that a second violation of the<br />

drug policy will warrant her removal. 429

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