Chapter 4117 | Public Employees' Collective Bargaining

Section 4117.01 | Public employees' collective bargaining definitions.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Person," in addition to those included in division (C) of section 1.59 of the Revised Code, includes employee organizations, public employees, and public employers.

(B) "Public employer" means the state or any political subdivision of the state located entirely within the state, including, without limitation, any municipal corporation with a population of at least five thousand according to the most recent federal decennial census; county; township with a population of at least five thousand in the unincorporated area of the township according to the most recent federal decennial census; school district; governing authority of a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code; college preparatory boarding school established under Chapter 3328. of the Revised Code or its operator; state institution of higher learning; public or special district; state agency, authority, commission, or board; or other branch of public employment. "Public employer" does not include the nonprofit corporation formed under section 187.01 of the Revised Code.

(C) "Public employee" means any person holding a position by appointment or employment in the service of a public employer, including any person working pursuant to a contract between a public employer and a private employer and over whom the national labor relations board has declined jurisdiction on the basis that the involved employees are employees of a public employer, except:

(1) Persons holding elective office;

(2) Employees of the general assembly and employees of any other legislative body of the public employer whose principal duties are directly related to the legislative functions of the body;

(3) Employees on the staff of the governor or the chief executive of the public employer whose principal duties are directly related to the performance of the executive functions of the governor or the chief executive;

(4) Persons who are members of the Ohio organized militia, while training or performing duty under section 5919.29 or 5923.12 of the Revised Code;

(5) Employees of the state employment relations board, including those employees of the state employment relations board utilized by the state personnel board of review in the exercise of the powers and the performance of the duties and functions of the state personnel board of review;

(6) Confidential employees;

(7) Management level employees;

(8) Employees and officers of the courts, assistants to the attorney general, assistant prosecuting attorneys, and employees of the clerks of courts who perform a judicial function;

(9) Employees of a public official who act in a fiduciary capacity, appointed pursuant to section 124.11 of the Revised Code;

(10) Supervisors;

(11) Students whose primary purpose is educational training, including graduate assistants or associates, residents, interns, or other students working as part-time public employees less than fifty per cent of the normal year in the employee's bargaining unit;

(12) Employees of county boards of election;

(13) Seasonal and casual employees as determined by the state employment relations board;

(14) Part-time faculty members of an institution of higher education;

(15) Participants in a work activity, developmental activity, or alternative work activity under sections 5107.40 to 5107.69 of the Revised Code who perform a service for a public employer that the public employer needs but is not performed by an employee of the public employer if the participant is not engaged in paid employment or subsidized employment pursuant to the activity;

(16) Employees included in the career professional service of the department of transportation under section 5501.20 of the Revised Code;

(17) Employees of community-based correctional facilities and district community-based correctional facilities created under sections 2301.51 to 2301.58 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Employee organization" means any labor or bona fide organization in which public employees participate and that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with public employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, hours, terms, and other conditions of employment.

(E) "Exclusive representative" means the employee organization certified or recognized as an exclusive representative under section 4117.05 of the Revised Code.

(F) "Supervisor" means any individual who has authority, in the interest of the public employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other public employees; to responsibly direct them; to adjust their grievances; or to effectively recommend such action, if the exercise of that authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment, provided that:

(1) Employees of school districts who are department chairpersons or consulting teachers shall not be deemed supervisors.

(2) With respect to members of a police or fire department, no person shall be deemed a supervisor except the chief of the department or those individuals who, in the absence of the chief, are authorized to exercise the authority and perform the duties of the chief of the department. Where prior to June 1, 1982, a public employer pursuant to a judicial decision, rendered in litigation to which the public employer was a party, has declined to engage in collective bargaining with members of a police or fire department on the basis that those members are supervisors, those members of a police or fire department do not have the rights specified in this chapter for the purposes of future collective bargaining. The state employment relations board shall decide all disputes concerning the application of division (F)(2) of this section.

(3) With respect to faculty members of a state institution of higher education, heads of departments or divisions are supervisors; however, no other faculty member or group of faculty members is a supervisor solely because the faculty member or group of faculty members participate in decisions with respect to courses, curriculum, personnel, or other matters of academic policy.

(4) No teacher as defined in section 3319.09 of the Revised Code shall be designated as a supervisor or a management level employee unless the teacher is employed under a contract governed by section 3319.01, 3319.011, or 3319.02 of the Revised Code and is assigned to a position for which a license deemed to be for administrators under state board rules is required pursuant to section 3319.22 of the Revised Code.

(G) "To bargain collectively" means to perform the mutual obligation of the public employer, by its representatives, and the representatives of its employees to negotiate in good faith at reasonable times and places with respect to wages, hours, terms, and other conditions of employment and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement, with the intention of reaching an agreement, or to resolve questions arising under the agreement. "To bargain collectively" includes executing a written contract incorporating the terms of any agreement reached. The obligation to bargain collectively does not mean that either party is compelled to agree to a proposal nor does it require the making of a concession.

(H) "Strike" means continuous concerted action in failing to report to duty; willful absence from one's position; or stoppage of work in whole from the full, faithful, and proper performance of the duties of employment, for the purpose of inducing, influencing, or coercing a change in wages, hours, terms, and other conditions of employment. "Strike" does not include a stoppage of work by employees in good faith because of dangerous or unhealthful working conditions at the place of employment that are abnormal to the place of employment.

(I) "Unauthorized strike" includes, but is not limited to, concerted action during the term or extended term of a collective bargaining agreement or during the pendency of the settlement procedures set forth in section 4117.14 of the Revised Code in failing to report to duty; willful absence from one's position; stoppage of work; slowdown, or abstinence in whole or in part from the full, faithful, and proper performance of the duties of employment for the purpose of inducing, influencing, or coercing a change in wages, hours, terms, and other conditions of employment. "Unauthorized strike" includes any such action, absence, stoppage, slowdown, or abstinence when done partially or intermittently, whether during or after the expiration of the term or extended term of a collective bargaining agreement or during or after the pendency of the settlement procedures set forth in section 4117.14 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Professional employee" means any employee engaged in work that is predominantly intellectual, involving the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its performance and requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic education or from an apprenticeship; or an employee who has completed the courses of specialized intellectual instruction and is performing related work under the supervision of a professional person to become qualified as a professional employee.

(K) "Confidential employee" means any employee who works in the personnel offices of a public employer and deals with information to be used by the public employer in collective bargaining; or any employee who works in a close continuing relationship with public officers or representatives directly participating in collective bargaining on behalf of the employer.

(L) "Management level employee" means an individual who formulates policy on behalf of the public employer, who responsibly directs the implementation of policy, or who may reasonably be required on behalf of the public employer to assist in the preparation for the conduct of collective negotiations, administer collectively negotiated agreements, or have a major role in personnel administration. Assistant superintendents, principals, and assistant principals whose employment is governed by section 3319.02 of the Revised Code are management level employees. With respect to members of a faculty of a state institution of higher education, no person is a management level employee because of the person's involvement in the formulation or implementation of academic or institution policy.

(M) "Wages" means hourly rates of pay, salaries, or other forms of compensation for services rendered.

(N) "Member of a police department" means a person who is in the employ of a police department of a municipal corporation as a full-time regular police officer as the result of an appointment from a duly established civil service eligibility list or under section 737.15 or 737.16 of the Revised Code, a full-time deputy sheriff appointed under section 311.04 of the Revised Code, a township constable appointed under section 509.01 of the Revised Code, or a member of a township or joint police district police department appointed under section 505.49 of the Revised Code.

(O) "Members of the state highway patrol" means highway patrol troopers and radio operators appointed under section 5503.01 of the Revised Code.

(P) "Member of a fire department" means a person who is in the employ of a fire department of a municipal corporation or a township as a fire cadet, full-time regular firefighter, or promoted rank as the result of an appointment from a duly established civil service eligibility list or under section 505.38, 709.012, or 737.22 of the Revised Code.

(Q) "Day" means calendar day.

Section 4117.02 | State employment relations board.

• Effective: September 17, 2014
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 3 - 130th General Assembly

(A) There is hereby created the state employment relations board, consisting of three members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Members shall be knowledgeable about labor relations or personnel practices. No more than two of the three members shall belong to the same political party. A member of the state employment relations board during the member's period of service shall hold no other public office or public or private employment and shall allow no other responsibilities to interfere or conflict with the member's duties as a full-time state employment relations board member. Of the initial appointments made to the state employment relations board, one shall be for a term ending October 6, 1984, one shall be for a term ending October 6, 1985, and one shall be for a term ending October 6, 1986. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for six years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term that it succeeds. Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member is appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration of the member's term until the member's successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The governor may remove any member of the state employment relations board, upon notice and public hearing, for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause.

(B)(1) The governor shall designate one member of the state employment relations board to serve as chairperson of the state employment relations board. The chairperson is the head of the state employment relations board and its chief executive officer.

(2) The chairperson shall exercise all administrative powers and duties conferred upon the state employment relations board under this chapter and shall do all of the following:

(a) Employ, promote, supervise, and remove all employees of the state employment relations board, and establish, change, or abolish positions and assign or reassign the duties of those employees as the chairperson determines necessary to achieve the most efficient performance of the duties of the state employment relations board under this chapter;

(b) Determine the utilization by the state personnel board of review of employees of the state employment relations board as necessary for the state personnel board of review to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the state personnel board of review.

(c) Maintain the office of the state employment relations board in Columbus and manage the office's daily operations, including securing offices, facilities, equipment, and supplies necessary to house the state employment relations board, employees of the state employment relations board, the state personnel board of review, and files and records under the control of the state employment relations board and under the control of the state personnel board of review;

(d) Prepare and submit to the office of budget and management a budget for each biennium according to section 107.03 of the Revised Code, and include in the budget the costs of the state employment relations board and its staff and the costs of the state employment relations board in discharging any duty imposed by law upon the state employment relations board, the chairperson, or any of the employees or agents of the state employment relations board, and the costs of the state personnel board of review in discharging any duty imposed by law on the state personnel board of review or an agent of the state personnel board of review.

(C) The vacancy on the state employment relations board does not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the state employment relations board, and two members of the state employment relations board, at all times, constitute a quorum. The state employment relations board shall have an official seal of which courts shall take judicial notice.

(D) The state employment relations board shall make an annual report in writing to the governor and to the general assembly, stating in detail the work it has done.

(E) Compensation of the chairperson and members shall be in accordance with division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code. The chairperson and the members are eligible for reappointment. In addition to such compensation, all members shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their work as members.

(F)(1) The chairperson, after consulting with the other state employment relations board members and receiving the consent of at least one other board member, shall appoint an executive director. The chairperson also shall appoint attorneys and shall appoint an assistant executive director who shall be an attorney admitted to practice law in this state and who shall serve as a liaison to the attorney general on legal matters before the state employment relations board.

(2) The state employment relations board shall appoint members of fact-finding panels and shall prescribe their job duties.

(G)(1) The executive director shall serve at the pleasure of the chairperson. The executive director, under the direction of the chairperson, shall do all of the following:

(a) Act as chief administrative officer for the state employment relations board;

(b) Ensure that all employees of the state employment relations board comply with the rules of the state employment relations board;

(c) Do all things necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the duties of the state employment relations board.

(2) The duties of the executive director described in division (G)(1) of this section do not relieve the chairperson from final responsibility for the proper performance of the duties described in that division.

(H) The attorney general shall be the legal adviser of the state employment relations board and shall appear for and represent the state employment relations board and its agents in all legal proceedings. The state employment relations board may utilize regional, local, or other agencies, and utilize voluntary and uncompensated services as needed. The state employment relations board may contract with the federal mediation and conciliation service for the assistance of mediators, arbitrators, and other personnel the service makes available. The chairperson shall appoint all employees on the basis of training, practical experience, education, and character, notwithstanding the requirements established by section 119.09 of the Revised Code. The chairperson shall give special regard to the practical training and experience that employees have for the particular position involved. The executive director, assistant executive director, administrative law judges, employees holding a fiduciary or administrative relation to the state employment relations board as described in division (A)(9) of section 124.11 of the Revised Code, and the personal secretaries and assistants of the state employment relations board members are in the unclassified service. All other full-time employees of the state employment relations board are in the classified service. All employees of the state employment relations board shall be paid in accordance with Chapter 124. of the Revised Code.

(I) The chairperson shall select and assign administrative law judges and other agents whose functions are to conduct hearings with due regard to their impartiality, judicial temperament, and knowledge. If in any proceeding under this chapter, any party prior to five days before the hearing thereto files with the state employment relations board a sworn statement charging that the administrative law judge or other agent designated to conduct the hearing is biased or partial in the proceeding, the state employment relations board may disqualify the person and designate another administrative law judge or agent to conduct the proceeding. At least ten days before any hearing, the state employment relations board shall notify all parties to a proceeding of the name of the administrative law judge or agent designated to conduct the hearing.

(J) The principal office of the state employment relations board is in Columbus, but it may meet and exercise any or all of its powers at any other place within the state. The state employment relations board may, by one or more of its employees, or any agents or agencies it designates, conduct in any part of this state any proceeding, hearing, investigation, inquiry, or election necessary to the performance of its functions; provided, that no person so designated may later sit in determination of an appeal of the decision of that cause or matter.

(K) In addition to the powers and functions provided in other sections of this chapter, the state employment relations board shall do all of the following:

(1) Create a bureau of mediation within the state employment relations board, to perform the functions provided in section 4117.14 of the Revised Code. This bureau shall also establish, after consulting representatives of employee organizations and public employers, panels of qualified persons to be available to serve as members of fact-finding panels and arbitrators.

(2) Conduct studies of problems involved in representation and negotiation and make recommendations for legislation;

(3) Hold hearings pursuant to this chapter and, for the purpose of the hearings and inquiries, administer oaths and affirmations, examine witnesses and documents, take testimony and receive evidence, compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents by the issuance of subpoenas, and delegate these powers to any members of the state employment relations board or any administrative law judge employed by the state employment relations board for the performance of its functions;

(4) Train representatives of employee organizations and public employers in the rules and techniques of collective bargaining procedures;

(5) Make studies and analyses of, and act as a clearinghouse of information relating to, conditions of employment of public employees throughout the state and request assistance, services, and data from any public employee organization, public employer, or governmental unit. Public employee organizations, public employers, and governmental units shall provide such assistance, services, and data as will enable the state employment relations board to carry out its functions and powers.

(6) Make available to employee organizations, public employers, mediators, fact-finding panels, arbitrators, and joint study committees statistical data relating to wages, benefits, and employment practices in public and private employment applicable to various localities and occupations to assist them to resolve issues in negotiations;

(7) Notwithstanding section 119.13 of the Revised Code, establish standards of persons who practice before it;

(8) Adopt, amend, and rescind rules and procedures and exercise other powers appropriate to carry out this chapter. Before the adoption, amendment, or rescission of rules and procedures under this section, the state employment relations board shall do all of the following:

(a) Maintain a list of interested public employers and employee organizations and mail notice to such groups of any proposed rule or procedure, amendment thereto, or rescission thereof at least thirty days before any public hearing thereon;

(b) Mail a copy of each proposed rule or procedure, amendment thereto, or rescission thereof to any person who requests a copy within five days after receipt of the request therefor;

(c) Consult with appropriate statewide organizations representing public employers or employees who would be affected by the proposed rule or procedure.

Although the state employment relations board is expected to discharge these duties diligently, failure to mail any notice or copy, or to so consult with any person, is not jurisdictional and shall not be construed to invalidate any proceeding or action of the state employment relations board.

(L) In case of neglect or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, the court of common pleas of the county in which the investigation or the public hearing occurs, upon application by the state employment relations board, may issue an order requiring the person to appear before the state employment relations board and give testimony about the matter under investigation. The court may punish a failure to obey the order as contempt.

(M) Any subpoena, notice of hearing, or other process or notice of the state employment relations board issued under this section may be served personally, by certified mail, or by leaving a copy at the principal office or personal residence of the respondent required to be served. A return, made and verified by the individual making the service and setting forth the manner of service, is proof of service, and a return post office receipt, when certified mail is used, is proof of service. All process in any court to which application is made under this chapter may be served in the county wherein the persons required to be served reside or are found.

(N) All expenses of the state employment relations board, including all necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred by the members or employees of the state employment relations board under its orders, shall be paid pursuant to itemized vouchers approved by the chairperson of the state employment relations board, the executive director, or both, or such other person as the chairperson designates for that purpose.

(O) Whenever the state employment relations board determines that a substantial controversy exists with respect to the application or interpretation of this chapter and the matter is of public or great general interest, the state employment relations board shall certify its final order directly to the court of appeals having jurisdiction over the area in which the principal office of the public employer directly affected by the application or interpretation is located. The chairperson shall file with the clerk of the court a certified copy of the transcript of the proceedings before the state employment relations board pertaining to the final order. If upon hearing and consideration the court decides that the final order of the state employment relations board is unlawful or is not supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole, the court shall reverse and vacate the final order or modify it and enter final judgment in accordance with the modification; otherwise, the court shall affirm the final order. The notice of the final order of the state employment relations board to the interested parties shall contain a certification by the chairperson of the state employment relations board that the final order is of public or great general interest and that a certified transcript of the record of the proceedings before the state employment relations board had been filed with the clerk of the court as an appeal to the court. For the purposes of this division, the state employment relations board has standing to bring its final order properly before the court of appeals.

(P) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this section, the state employment relations board is subject to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, including the procedure for submission of proposed rules to the general assembly for legislative review under division (C) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code.

Section 4117.03 | Rights of public employees.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153, Senate Bill 171 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Public employees have the right to:

(1) Form, join, assist, or participate in, or refrain from forming, joining, assisting, or participating in, except as otherwise provided in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, any employee organization of their own choosing;

(2) Engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection;

(3) Representation by an employee organization;

(4) Bargain collectively with their public employers to determine wages, hours, terms and other conditions of employment and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement, and enter into collective bargaining agreements;

(5) Present grievances and have them adjusted, without the intervention of the bargaining representative, as long as the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement then in effect and as long as the bargaining representatives have the opportunity to be present at the adjustment.

(B) Persons on active duty or acting in any capacity as members of the organized militia do not have collective bargaining rights.

(C) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, nothing in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code prohibits public employers from electing to engage in collective bargaining, to meet and confer, to hold discussions, or to engage in any other form of collective negotiations with public employees who are not subject to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code pursuant to division (C) of section 4117.01 of the Revised Code.

(D) A public employer shall not engage in collective bargaining or other forms of collective negotiations with the employees of county boards of elections referred to in division (C)(12) of section 4117.01 of the Revised Code.

(E) Employees of public schools may bargain collectively for health care benefits.

Section 4117.04 | Public employers exclusive representative.

• Effective: September 29, 1995
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 117 - 121st General Assembly

(A) Public employers shall extend to an exclusive representative designated under section 4117.05 of the Revised Code, the right to represent exclusively the employees in the appropriate bargaining unit and the right to unchallenged and exclusive representation for a period of not less than twelve months following the date of certification and thereafter, if the public employer and the employee organization enter into an agreement, for a period of not more than three years from the date of signing the agreement. For the purposes of this section, extensions of agreements shall not be construed to affect the expiration date of the original agreement.

(B) A public employer shall bargain collectively with an exclusive representative designated under section 4117.05 of the Revised Code for purposes of Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code.

When the state employment relations board notifies a public employer that it has certified an employee organization as exclusive representative for a unit of its employees, the public employer shall designate an employer representative and promptly notify the board and the employee organization of his identity and address. On certification, the employee organization shall designate an employee representative and promptly notify the board and the public employer of his identity and address. The board or any party shall address to the appropriate designated representative all communications concerned with collective relationships under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code. In the case of municipal corporations, counties, school districts, educational service centers, villages, and townships, the designation of the employer representative is as provided in division (C) of section 4117.10 of the Revised Code. The designated representative of a party may sign agreements resulting from collective bargaining on behalf of his designator; but the agreements are subject to the procedures set forth in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code.

Section 4117.05 | Employee organization to become exclusive representative - procedure.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) An employee organization becomes the exclusive representative of all the public employees in an appropriate unit for the purposes of collective bargaining by either:

(1) Being certified by the state employment relations board when a majority of the voting employees in the unit select the employee organization as their representative in a board-conducted election under section 4117.07 of the Revised Code;

(2) Filing a request with a public employer with a copy to the state employment relations board for recognition as an exclusive representative. In the request for recognition, the employee organization shall describe the bargaining unit, shall allege that a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit wish to be represented by the employee organization, and shall support the request with substantial evidence based on, and in accordance with, rules prescribed by the board demonstrating that a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit wish to be represented by the employee organization. Immediately upon receipt of a request, the public employer shall either request an election under division (A)(2) of section 4117.07 of the Revised Code, or take the following action:

(a) Post notice in each facility at which employees in the proposed unit are employed, setting forth the description of the bargaining unit, the name of the employee organization requesting recognition, and the date of the request for recognition, and advising employees that objections to certification must be filed with the state employment relations board not later than the twenty-first day following the date of the request for recognition;

(b) Immediately notify the state employment relations board of the request for recognition.

The state employment relations board shall certify the employee organization filing the request for recognition on the twenty-second day following the filing of the request for recognition, unless by the twenty-first day following the filing of the request for recognition it receives:

(i) A petition for an election from the public employer pursuant to division (A)(2) of section 4117.07 of the Revised Code;

(ii) Substantial evidence based on, and in accordance with, rules prescribed by the board demonstrating that a majority of the employees in the described bargaining unit do not wish to be represented by the employee organization filing the request for recognition;

(iii) Substantial evidence based on, and in accordance with, rules prescribed by the board from another employee organization demonstrating that at least ten per cent of the employees in the described bargaining unit wish to be represented by such other employee organization; or

(iv) Substantial evidence based on, and in accordance with, rules prescribed by the board indicating that the proposed unit is not an appropriate unit pursuant to section 4117.06 of the Revised Code.

(B) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit a public employer to recognize, or the state employment relations board to certify, an employee organization as an exclusive representative under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code if there is in effect a lawful written agreement, contract, or memorandum of understanding between the public employer and another employee organization which, on the effective date of this section, has been recognized by a public employer as the exclusive representative of the employees in a unit or which by tradition, custom, practice, election, or negotiation has been the only employee organization representing all employees in the unit; this restriction does not apply to that period of time covered by any agreement which exceeds three years. For the purposes of this section, extensions of agreement do not affect the expiration of the original agreement.

Section 4117.06 | State employment relations board to determine collective bargaining unit.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) The state employment relations board shall decide in each case the unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining. The determination is final and conclusive and not appealable to the court.

(B) The board shall determine the appropriateness of each bargaining unit and shall consider among other relevant factors: the desires of the employees; the community of interest; wages, hours, and other working conditions of the public employees; the effect of over-fragmentation; the efficiency of operations of the public employer; the administrative structure of the public employer; and the history of collective bargaining.

(C) The board may determine a unit to be the appropriate unit in a particular case, even though some other unit might also be appropriate.

(D) In addition, in determining the appropriate unit, the board shall not:

(1) Decide that any unit is appropriate if the unit includes both professional and nonprofessional employees, unless a majority of the professional employees and a majority of the nonprofessional employees first vote for inclusion in the unit;

(2) Include guards or correction officers at correctional or mental institutions, special police officers appointed in accordance with sections 5119.08 and 5123.13 of the Revised Code, psychiatric attendants employed at mental health forensic facilities, youth leaders employed at juvenile correction facilities, or any public employee employed as a guard to enforce against other employees rules to protect property of the employer or to protect the safety of persons on the employer's premises in a unit with other employees;

(3) Include members of a police or fire department or members of the state highway patrol in a unit with other classifications of public employees of the department;

(4) Designate as appropriate a bargaining unit that contains more than one institution of higher education; nor shall it within any such institution of higher education designate as appropriate a unit where such designation would be inconsistent with the accreditation standards or interpretations of such standards, governing such institution of higher education or any department, school, or college thereof. For the purposes of this division, any branch or regional campus of a public institution of higher education is part of that institution of higher education.

(5) Designate as appropriate a bargaining unit that contains employees within the jurisdiction of more than one elected county office holder, unless the county-elected office holder and the board of county commissioners agree to such other designation;

(6) With respect to members of a police department, designate as appropriate a unit that includes rank and file members of the department with members who are of the rank of sergeant or above;

(7) Except as otherwise provided by division (A)(3) of section 3314.10 or division (B) of section 3326.18 of the Revised Code, designate as appropriate a bargaining unit that contains employees from multiple community schools established under Chapter 3314. or multiple science, technology, engineering, and mathematics schools established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code. For purposes of this division, more than one unit may be designated within a single community school or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school.

This section shall not be deemed to prohibit multiunit bargaining.

Section 4117.07 | Procedure upon filing petition for election.

• Effective: October 16, 2009
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 128th General Assembly

(A) When a petition is filed, in accordance with rules prescribed by the state employment relations board:

(1) By any employee or group of employees, or any individual or employee organization acting in their behalf, alleging that at least thirty per cent of the employees in an appropriate unit wish to be represented for collective bargaining by an exclusive representative, or asserting that the designated exclusive representative is no longer the representative of the majority of employees in the unit, the board shall investigate the petition, and if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation exists, provide for an appropriate hearing upon due notice to the parties;

(2) By the employer alleging that one or more employee organizations has presented to it a claim to be recognized as the exclusive representative in an appropriate unit, the board shall investigate the petition, and if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation exists, provide for an appropriate hearing upon due notice to the parties.

If the board finds upon the record of a hearing that a question of representation exists, it shall direct an election and certify the results thereof. No one may vote in an election by proxy. The board may also certify an employee organization as an exclusive representative if it determines that a free and untrammelled election cannot be conducted because of the employer's unfair labor practices and that at one time the employee organization had the support of the majority of the employees in the unit.

(B) Only the names of those employee organizations designated by more than ten per cent of the employees in the unit found to be appropriate may be placed on the ballot. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the waiving of hearings by stipulation, in conformity with the rules of the board, for the purpose of a consent election.

(C) The board shall conduct representation elections by secret ballot cast, at the board's discretion, by mail or electronically or in person, and at times and places selected by the board subject to the following:

(1) The board shall give no less than ten days' notice of the time and place of an election;

(2) The board shall establish rules concerning the conduct of any election including, but not limited to, rules to guarantee the secrecy of the ballot;

(3) The board may not certify a representative unless the representative receives a majority of the valid ballots cast;

(4) Except as provided in this section, the board shall include on the ballot a choice of "no representative";

(5) In an election where none of the choices on the ballot receives a majority, the board shall conduct a runoff election. In that case, the ballot shall provide for a selection between the two choices or parties receiving the highest and the second highest number of ballots cast in the election.

(6) The board may not conduct an election under this section in any appropriate bargaining unit within which a board-conducted election was held in the preceding twelve-month period, nor during the term of any lawful collective bargaining agreement between a public employer and an exclusive representative.

Petitions for elections may be filed with the board no sooner than one hundred twenty days or later than ninety days before the expiration date of any collective bargaining agreement, or after the expiration date, until the public employer and exclusive representative enter into a new written agreement.

For the purposes of this section, extensions of agreements do not affect the expiration date of the original agreement.

Section 4117.08 | Matters subject to collective bargaining.

• Effective: September 30, 2025
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly

(A) All matters pertaining to wages, hours, or terms and other conditions of employment and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement are subject to collective bargaining between the public employer and the exclusive representative, except as otherwise specified in this section and division (E) of section 4117.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) Neither of the following are appropriate subjects for collective bargaining:

(1) The conduct and grading of civil service examinations, the rating of candidates, the establishment of eligible lists from the examinations, and the original appointments from the eligible lists;

(2) For collective bargaining agreements that are entered into on or after the effective date of this amendment, the ability of state employees to perform their duties at a location designated as a worksite.

(C) Unless a public employer agrees otherwise in a collective bargaining agreement, nothing in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code impairs the right and responsibility of each public employer to:

(1) Determine matters of inherent managerial policy which include, but are not limited to, areas of discretion or policy such as the functions and programs of the public employer, standards of services, its overall budget, utilization of technology, and organizational structure;

(2) Direct, supervise, evaluate, or hire employees;

(3) Maintain and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental operations;

(4) Determine the overall methods, process, means, or personnel by which governmental operations are to be conducted;

(5) Suspend, discipline, demote, or discharge for just cause, or lay off, transfer, assign, schedule, promote, or retain employees;

(6) Determine the adequacy of the work force;

(7) Determine the overall mission of the employer as a unit of government;

(8) Effectively manage the work force;

(9) Take actions to carry out the mission of the public employer as a governmental unit.

The employer is not required to bargain on subjects reserved to the management and direction of the governmental unit except as affect wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment, and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement. A public employee or exclusive representative may raise a legitimate complaint or file a grievance based on the collective bargaining agreement.

Last updated August 13, 2025 at 11:45 AM

Section 4117.09 | Parties to execute written agreement - provisions of agreement.

• Effective: March 1, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 262 - 118th General Assembly

(A) The parties to any collective bargaining agreement shall reduce the agreement to writing and both execute it.

(B) The agreement shall contain a provision that:

(1) Provides for a grievance procedure which may culminate with final and binding arbitration of unresolved grievances, and disputed interpretations of agreements, and which is valid and enforceable under its terms when entered into in accordance with this chapter. No publication thereof is required to make it effective. A party to the agreement may bring suits for violation of agreements or the enforcement of an award by an arbitrator in the court of common pleas of any county wherein a party resides or transacts business.

(2) Authorizes the public employer to deduct the periodic dues, initiation fees, and assessments of members of the exclusive representative upon presentation of a written deduction authorization by the employee.

(C) The agreement may contain a provision that requires as a condition of employment, on or after a mutually agreed upon probationary period or sixty days following the beginning of employment, whichever is less, or the effective date of a collective bargaining agreement, whichever is later, that the employees in the unit who are not members of the employee organization pay to the employee organization a fair share fee. The arrangement does not require any employee to become a member of the employee organization, nor shall fair share fees exceed dues paid by members of the employee organization who are in the same bargaining unit. Any public employee organization representing public employees pursuant to this chapter shall prescribe an internal procedure to determine a rebate, if any, for nonmembers which conforms to federal law, provided a nonmember makes a timely demand on the employee organization. Absent arbitrary and capricious action, such determination is conclusive on the parties except that a challenge to the determination may be filed with the state employment relations board within thirty days of the determination date specifying the arbitrary or capricious nature of the determination and the board shall review the rebate determination and decide whether it was arbitrary or capricious. The deduction of a fair share fee by the public employer from the payroll check of the employee and its payment to the employee organization is automatic and does not require the written authorization of the employee.

The internal rebate procedure shall provide for a rebate of expenditures in support of partisan politics or ideological causes not germaine to the work of employee organizations in the realm of collective bargaining.

Any public employee who is a member of and adheres to established and traditional tenets or teachings of a bona fide religion or religious body which has historically held conscientious objections to joining or financially supporting an employee organization and which is exempt from taxation under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code shall not be required to join or financially support any employee organization as a condition of employment. Upon submission of proper proof of religious conviction to the board, the board shall declare the employee exempt from becoming a member of or financially supporting an employee organization. The employee shall be required, in lieu of the fair share fee, to pay an amount of money equal to the fair share fee to a nonreligious charitable fund exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code mutually agreed upon by the employee and the representative of the employee organization to which the employee would otherwise be required to pay the fair share fee. The employee shall furnish to the employee organization written receipts evidencing such payment, and failure to make the payment or furnish the receipts shall subject the employee to the same sanctions as would nonpayment of dues under the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

No public employer shall agree to a provision requiring that a public employee become a member of an employee organization as a condition for securing or retaining employment.

(D) As used in this division, "teacher" means any employee of a school district certified to teach in the public schools of this state.

The agreement may contain a provision that provides for a peer review plan under which teachers in a bargaining unit or representatives of an employee organization representing teachers may, for other teachers of the same bargaining unit or teachers whom the employee organization represents, participate in assisting, instructing, reviewing, evaluating, or appraising and make recommendations or participate in decisions with respect to the retention, discharge, renewal, or nonrenewal of, the teachers covered by a peer review plan.

The participation of teachers or their employee organization representative in a peer review plan permitted under this division shall not be construed as an unfair labor practice under this chapter or as a violation of any other provision of law or rule adopted pursuant thereto.

(E) No agreement shall contain an expiration date that is later than three years from the date of execution. The parties may extend any agreement, but the extensions do not affect the expiration date of the original agreement.

Section 4117.10 | Terms of agreement.

• Effective: September 30, 2025
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly

(A) An agreement between a public employer and an exclusive representative entered into pursuant to this chapter governs the wages, hours, and terms and conditions of public employment covered by the agreement. If the agreement provides for a final and binding arbitration of grievances, public employers, employees, and employee organizations are subject solely to that grievance procedure and the state personnel board of review or civil service commissions have no jurisdiction to receive and determine any appeals relating to matters that were the subject of a final and binding grievance procedure. Where no agreement exists or where an agreement makes no specification about a matter, the public employer and public employees are subject to all applicable state or local laws or ordinances pertaining to the wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment for public employees. All of the following prevail over conflicting provisions of agreements between employee organizations and public employers:

(1) Laws pertaining to any of the following subjects:

(a) Civil rights;

(b) Affirmative action;

(c) Unemployment compensation;

(d) Workers' compensation;

(e) The retirement of public employees;

(f) Residency requirements;

(g) The minimum educational requirements contained in the Revised Code pertaining to public education including the requirement of a certificate by the fiscal officer of a school district pursuant to section 5705.41 of the Revised Code;

(h) The provisions of division (A) of section 124.34 of the Revised Code governing the disciplining of officers and employees who have been convicted of a felony;

(i) The minimum standards promulgated by the director of education and workforce pursuant to division (D) of section 3301.07 of the Revised Code.

(2) The law pertaining to the leave of absence and compensation provided under section 5923.05 of the Revised Code, if the terms of the agreement contain benefits which are less than those contained in that section or the agreement contains no such terms and the public authority is the state or any agency, authority, commission, or board of the state or if the public authority is another entity listed in division (B) of section 4117.01 of the Revised Code that elects to provide leave of absence and compensation as provided in section 5923.05 of the Revised Code;

(3) The law pertaining to the leave established under section 5906.02 of the Revised Code, if the terms of the agreement contain benefits that are less than those contained in section 5906.02 of the Revised Code;

(4) The law pertaining to excess benefits prohibited under section 3345.311 of the Revised Code with respect to an agreement between an employee organization and a public employer entered into on or after September 29, 2015;

(5) state employee work location policies with respect to an agreement between an employee organization and a public employer entered into on or after the effective date of this amendment.

Except for sections 306.08, 306.12, 306.35, and 4981.22 of the Revised Code and arrangements entered into thereunder, and section 4981.21 of the Revised Code as necessary to comply with section 13(c) of the "Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964," 87 Stat. 295, 49 U.S.C.A. 1609(c), as amended, and arrangements entered into thereunder, this chapter prevails over any and all other conflicting laws, resolutions, provisions, present or future, except as otherwise specified in this chapter or as otherwise specified by the general assembly. Nothing in this section prohibits or shall be construed to invalidate the provisions of an agreement establishing supplemental workers' compensation or unemployment compensation benefits or exceeding minimum requirements contained in the Revised Code pertaining to public education or the minimum standards promulgated by the director of education and workforce pursuant to division (D) of section 3301.07 of the Revised Code.

(B) The public employer shall submit a request for funds necessary to implement an agreement and for approval of any other matter requiring the approval of the appropriate legislative body to the legislative body within fourteen days of the date on which the parties finalize the agreement, unless otherwise specified, but if the appropriate legislative body is not in session at the time, then within fourteen days after it convenes. The legislative body must approve or reject the submission as a whole, and the submission is deemed approved if the legislative body fails to act within thirty days after the public employer submits the agreement. The parties may specify that those provisions of the agreement not requiring action by a legislative body are effective and operative in accordance with the terms of the agreement, provided there has been compliance with division (C) of this section. If the legislative body rejects the submission of the public employer, either party may reopen all or part of the entire agreement.

As used in this section, "legislative body" includes the governing board of a municipal corporation, school district, college or university, village, township, or board of county commissioners or any other body that has authority to approve the budget of their public jurisdiction and, with regard to the state, "legislative body" means the controlling board.

(C) The chief executive officer, or the chief executive officer's representative, of each municipal corporation, the designated representative of the board of education of each school district, college or university, or any other body that has authority to approve the budget of their public jurisdiction, the designated representative of the board of county commissioners and of each elected officeholder of the county whose employees are covered by the collective negotiations, and the designated representative of the village or the board of township trustees of each township is responsible for negotiations in the collective bargaining process; except that the legislative body may accept or reject a proposed collective bargaining agreement. When the matters about which there is agreement are reduced to writing and approved by the employee organization and the legislative body, the agreement is binding upon the legislative body, the employer, and the employee organization and employees covered by the agreement.

(D) There is hereby established an office of collective bargaining in the department of administrative services for the purpose of negotiating with and entering into written agreements between state agencies, departments, boards, and commissions and the exclusive representative on matters of wages, hours, terms and other conditions of employment and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement. Nothing in any provision of law to the contrary shall be interpreted as excluding the bureau of workers' compensation and the industrial commission from the preceding sentence. This office shall not negotiate on behalf of other statewide elected officials or boards of trustees of state institutions of higher education who shall be considered as separate public employers for the purposes of this chapter; however, the office may negotiate on behalf of these officials or trustees where authorized by the officials or trustees. The staff of the office of collective bargaining are in the unclassified service. The director of administrative services shall fix the compensation of the staff.

The office of collective bargaining shall:

(1) Assist the director in formulating management's philosophy for public collective bargaining as well as planning bargaining strategies;

(2) Conduct negotiations with the exclusive representatives of each employee organization;

(3) Coordinate the state's resources in all mediation, fact-finding, and arbitration cases as well as in all labor disputes;

(4) Conduct systematic reviews of collective bargaining agreements for the purpose of contract negotiations;

(5) Coordinate the systematic compilation of data by all agencies that is required for negotiating purposes;

(6) Prepare and submit an annual report and other reports as requested to the governor and the general assembly on the implementation of this chapter and its impact upon state government.

Last updated August 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM

Section 4117.101 | Prohibiting agreements contrary to community school provisions.

• Effective: April 8, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 364 - 124th General Assembly

Notwithstanding sections 4117.08 and 4117.10 of the Revised Code, no agreement entered into under this chapter may contain any provision that in any way limits the effect or operation of Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code or limits the authority of a school district board of education, or the governing board of an educational service center described in division (C)(1)(d) of section 3314.02 of the Revised Code, to enter into a contract with a community school under that chapter. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an agreement entered into under this chapter from containing requirements and procedures governing the reassignment of teachers who are employed in a school at the time it is converted to a community school pursuant to Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code and who do not choose or are not chosen to teach in that community school.

Section 4117.102 | List of school districts with agreements with teacher employee organizations.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

The state employment relations board shall compile a list of the school districts in the state that have filed with the board agreements entered into with teacher employee organizations under this chapter. The board shall annually update the list to reflect, for each district, for the current fiscal year, the starting salary in the district for teachers with no prior teaching experience who hold bachelors degrees. The board shall send a copy of each annually updated list to the department of education and workforce.

Last updated September 12, 2023 at 11:09 AM

Section 4117.103 | Contract may not prohibit district board from utilizing volunteers.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

Notwithstanding any provision of section 4117.08 or 4117.10 of the Revised Code to the contrary, no agreement entered into under this chapter on or after September 29, 2005, shall prohibit a school district board of education from utilizing volunteers to assist the district and its schools in performing any of their functions, other than functions for which a license, permit, certificate, or registration issued by the state board of education under section 3301.074 or Chapter 3319. of the Revised Code or a certificate issued under division (A) or (B) of section 3327.10 of the Revised Code is required.

Last updated August 24, 2021 at 2:08 PM

Section 4117.11 | Unfair labor practice.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) It is an unfair labor practice for a public employer, its agents, or representatives to:

(1) Interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code or an employee organization in the selection of its representative for the purposes of collective bargaining or the adjustment of grievances;

(2) Initiate, create, dominate, or interfere with the formation or administration of any employee organization, or contribute financial or other support to it; except that a public employer may permit employees to confer with it during working hours without loss of time or pay, permit the exclusive representative to use the facilities of the public employer for membership or other meetings, or permit the exclusive representative to use the internal mail system or other internal communications system;

(3) Discriminate in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment on the basis of the exercise of rights guaranteed by Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code. Nothing precludes any employer from making and enforcing an agreement pursuant to division (C) of section 4117.09 of the Revised Code.

(4) Discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee because he has filed charges or given testimony under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code;

(5) Refuse to bargain collectively with the representative of his employees recognized as the exclusive representative or certified pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code;

(6) Establish a pattern or practice of repeated failures to timely process grievances and requests for arbitration of grievances;

(7) Lock out or otherwise prevent employees from performing their regularly assigned duties where an object thereof is to bring pressure on the employees or an employee organization to compromise or capitulate to the employer's terms regarding a labor relations dispute;

(8) Cause or attempt to cause an employee organization, its agents, or representatives to violate division (B) of this section.

(B) It is an unfair labor practice for an employee organization, its agents, or representatives, or public employees to:

(1) Restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code. This division does not impair the right of an employee organization to prescribe its own rules with respect to the acquisition or retention of membership therein, or an employer in the selection of his representative for the purpose of collective brgaining or the adjustment of grievances.

(2) Cause or attempt to cause an employer to violate division (A) of this section;

(3) Refuse to bargain collectively with a public employer if the employee organization is recognized as the exclusive representative or certified as the exclusive representative of public employees in a bargaining unit;

(4) Call, institute, maintain, or conduct a boycott against any public employer, or picket any place of business of a public employer, on account of any jurisdictional work dispute;

(5) Induce or encourage any individual employed by any person to engage in a strike in violation of Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code or refusal to handle goods or perform services; or threaten, coerce, or restrain any person where an object thereof is to force or require any public employee to cease dealing or doing business with any other person, or force or require a public employer to recognize for representation purposes an employee organization not certified by the state employment relations board;

(6) Fail to fairly represent all public employees in a bargaining unit;

(7) Induce or encourage any individual in connection with a labor relations dispute to picket the residence or any place of private employment of any public official or representative of the public employer;

(8) Engage in any picketing, striking, or other concerted refusal to work without giving written notice to the public employer and to the state employment relations board not less than ten days prior to the action. The notice shall state the date and time that the action will commence and, once the notice is given, the parties may extend it by the written agreement of both.

(C) The determination by the board or any court that a public officer or employee has committed any of the acts prohibited by divisions (A) and (B) of this section shall not be made the basis of any charge for the removal from office or recall of the public officer or the suspension from or termination of employment of or disciplinary acts against an employee, nor shall the officer or employee be found subject to any suit for damages based on such a determination; however nothing in this division prevents any party to a collective bargaining agreement from seeking enforcement or damages for a violation thereof against the other party to the agreement.

(D) As to jurisdictional work disputes, the board shall hear and determine the dispute unless, within ten days after notice to the board by a party to the dispute that a dispute exists, the parties to the dispute submit to the board satisfactory evidence that they have adjusted, or agreed upon the method for the voluntary adjustment of, the dispute.

Section 4117.12 | Board to investigate charge of violation.

• Effective: July 17, 2009
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 128th General Assembly

(A) Whoever violates section 4117.11 of the Revised Code is guilty of an unfair labor practice remediable by the state employment relations board as specified in this section.

(B) When anyone files a charge with the board alleging that an unfair labor practice has been committed, the board or its designated agent shall investigate the charge. If the board has probable cause for believing that a violation has occurred, the board shall issue a complaint and shall conduct a hearing concerning the charge. The board shall cause the complaint to be served upon the charged party which shall contain a notice of the time at which the hearing on the complaint will be held either before the board, a board member, or an administrative law judge. The board may not issue a notice of hearing based upon any unfair labor practice occurring more than ninety days prior to the filing of the charge with the board, unless the person aggrieved thereby is prevented from filing the charge by reason of service in the armed forces, in which event the ninety-day period shall be computed from the day of the person's discharge. If the board dismisses a complaint as frivolous, it shall assess costs to the complainant pursuant to its standards governing such matters, and for that purpose, the board shall adopt a rule defining the standards by which the board will declare a complaint to be frivolous and the costs that will be assessed accordingly.

(1) The board, board member, or administrative law judge shall hold a hearing on the charge within ten days after service of the complaint. The board may amend a complaint, upon receipt of a notice from the charging party, at any time prior to the close of the hearing, and the charged party shall within ten days from receipt of the complaint or amendment to the complaint, file an answer to the complaint or amendment to the complaint. The charged party may file an answer to an original or amended complaint. The agents of the board and the person charged are parties and may appear or otherwise give evidence at the hearing. At the discretion of the board, board member, or administrative law judge, any interested party may intervene and present evidence at the hearing. The board, board member, or administrative law judge is not bound by the rules of evidence prevailing in the courts.

(2) A board member or administrative law judge who conducts the hearing shall reduce the evidence taken to writing and file it with the board. The board member or the administrative law judge may thereafter take further evidence or hear further argument if notice is given to all interested parties. The administrative law judge or board member shall issue to the parties a proposed decision, together with a recommended order and file it with the board. If the parties file no exceptions within twenty days after service thereof, the recommended order becomes the order of the board effective as therein prescribed. If the parties file exceptions to the proposed report, the board shall determine whether substantial issues have been raised. The board may rescind or modify the proposed order of the board member or administrative law judge; however, if the board determines that the exceptions do not raise substantial issues of fact or law, it may refuse to grant review, and the recommended order becomes effective as therein prescribed.

(3) If upon the preponderance of the evidence taken, the board believes that any person named in the complaint has engaged in any unfair labor practice, the board shall state its findings of fact and issue and cause to be served on the person an order requiring that the person cease and desist from these unfair labor practices, and take such affirmative action, including reinstatement of employees with or without back pay, as will effectuate the policies of Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code. If upon a preponderance of the evidence taken, the board believes that the person named in the complaint has not engaged in an unfair labor practice it shall state its findings of fact and issue an order dismissing the complaint.

(4) The board may order the public employer to reinstate the public employee and further may order either the public employer or the employee organization, depending on who was responsible for the discrimination suffered by the public employee, to make such payment of back pay to the public employee as the board determines. No order of the board shall require the reinstatement of any individual as an employee who has been suspended or discharged, or require the payment to the employee of any back pay, if the suspension or discharge was for just cause not related to rights provided in section 4117.03 of the Revised Code and the procedure contained in the collective bargaining agreement governing suspension or discharge was followed. The order of the board may require the party against whom the order is issued to make periodic reports showing the extent to which the party has complied with the order.

(C) Whenever a complaint alleges that a person has engaged in an unfair labor practice and that the complainant will suffer substantial and irreparable injury if not granted temporary relief, the board may petition the court of common pleas for any county wherein the alleged unfair labor practice in question occurs, or wherein any person charged with the commission of any unfair labor practice resides or transacts business for appropriate injunctive relief, pending the final adjudication by the board with respect to the matter. Upon the filing of any petition, the court shall cause notice thereof to be served upon the parties, and thereupon has jurisdiction to grant the temporary relief or restraining order it considers just and proper.

(D) Until the record in a case is filed in a court, as specified in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, the board may at any time upon reasonable notice and in a manner it considers proper, modify or set aside, in whole or in part, any finding or order made or issued by it.

Section 4117.13 | Board or party may petition court of common pleas.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) The state employment relations board or the complaining party may petition the court of common pleas for any county wherein an unfair labor practice occurs, or wherein any person charged with the commission of any unfair labor practice resides or transacts business, for the enforcement of the order and for appropriate temporary relief or restraining order. The board shall certify and file in the court a transcript of the entire record in the proceeding, including the pleadings and evidence upon which the order was entered and the findings and order of the board. When the board petitions the court, the complaining party may intervene in the case as a matter of right. Upon the filing, the court shall cause notice thereof to be served upon the person charged with committing the unfair labor practice and thereupon has jurisdiction of the proceeding and the question determined therein. The court may grant the temporary relief or restraining order it deems just and proper, and make and enter upon the pleadings, evidence, and proceedings set forth in the transcript a decree enforcing, modifying, and enforcing as so modified, or setting aside in whole or in part the order of the board.

(B) The findings of the board as to the facts, if supported by substantial evidence, on the record as a whole, are conclusive. If either party applies to the court for leave to adduce additional evidence and shows to the satisfaction of the court that the additional evidence is material and that there exist reasonable grounds for the failure to adduce the evidence in the hearing before the board, its member or agent, the court may order the board, its member, or agent to take the additional evidence, and make it a part of the transcript. The board may modify its findings as to the facts, or make new findings, by reason of additional evidence so taken and filed, and it shall file the modified or new findings, which, if supported by the evidence, are conclusive and shall file its recommendations, if any, for the modifying or setting aside of its original order.

(C) The jurisdiction of the court is exclusive and its judgment and decree final, except that the same is subject to review on questions of law as in civil cases.

(D) Any person aggrieved by any final order of the board granting or denying, in whole or in part, the relief sought may appeal to the court of common pleas of any county where the unfair labor practice in question was alleged to have been engaged in, or where the person resides or transacts business, by filing in the court a notice of appeal setting forth the order appealed from and the grounds of appeal. The court shall cause a copy of the notice to be served forthwith upon the board. Within ten days after the court receives a notice of appeal, the board shall file in the court a transcript of the entire record in the proceeding, certified by the board, including the pleading and evidence upon which the order appealed from was entered.

The court has exclusive jurisdiction to grant the temporary relief or restraining order it considers proper, and to make and enter a decree enforcing, modifying, and enforcing as so modified, or setting aside in whole or in part the order of the board. The findings of the board as to the facts, if supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole, are conclusive.

(E) The commencement of proceedings under division (A) or (D) of this section does not, unless specifically ordered by the court, operate as a stay of the board's order.

(F) Courts of common pleas shall hear appeals under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code expeditiously presented and where good cause is shown give precedence to them over all other civil matters except earlier matters of the same character.

Section 4117.14 | Settlement of dispute between exclusive representative and public employer - procedures.

• Effective: June 27, 2025
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 1 - 136th General Assembly

(A) The procedures contained in this section govern the settlement of disputes between an exclusive representative and a public employer concerning the termination or modification of an existing collective bargaining agreement or negotiation of a successor agreement, or the negotiation of an initial collective bargaining agreement.

(B)(1) In those cases where there exists a collective bargaining agreement, any public employer or exclusive representative desiring to terminate, modify, or negotiate a successor collective bargaining agreement shall:

(a) Serve written notice upon the other party of the proposed termination, modification, or successor agreement. The party must serve the notice not less than sixty days prior to the expiration date of the existing agreement or, in the event the existing collective bargaining agreement does not contain an expiration date, not less than sixty days prior to the time it is proposed to make the termination or modifications or to make effective a successor agreement.

(b) Offer to bargain collectively with the other party for the purpose of modifying or terminating any existing agreement or negotiating a successor agreement;

(c) Notify the state employment relations board of the offer by serving upon the board a copy of the written notice to the other party and a copy of the existing collective bargaining agreement.

(2) In the case of initial negotiations between a public employer and an exclusive representative, where a collective bargaining agreement has not been in effect between the parties, any party may serve notice upon the board and the other party setting forth the names and addresses of the parties and offering to meet, for a period of ninety days, with the other party for the purpose of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.

If the settlement procedures specified in divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section govern the parties, where those procedures refer to the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement, it means the expiration of the sixty-day period to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement referred to in this subdivision, or in the case of initial negotiations, it means the ninety-day period referred to in this subdivision.

(3) The parties shall continue in full force and effect all the terms and conditions of any existing collective bargaining agreement, without resort to strike or lock-out, for a period of sixty days after the party gives notice or until the expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later, or for a period of ninety days where applicable.

(4) Upon receipt of the notice, the parties shall enter into collective bargaining.

(C) In the event the parties are unable to reach an agreement, they may submit, at any time prior to forty-five days before the expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement, the issues in dispute to any mutually agreed upon dispute settlement procedure which supersedes the procedures contained in this section.

(1) The procedures may include:

(a) Conventional arbitration of all unsettled issues;

(b) Arbitration confined to a choice between the last offer of each party to the agreement as a single package;

(c) Arbitration confined to a choice of the last offer of each party to the agreement on each issue submitted;

(d) The procedures described in division (C)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section and including among the choices for the arbitrator, the recommendations of the fact finder, if there are recommendations, either as a single package or on each issue submitted;

(e) Settlement by a citizens' conciliation council composed of three residents within the jurisdiction of the public employer. The public employer shall select one member and the exclusive representative shall select one member. The two members selected shall select the third member who shall chair the council. If the two members cannot agree upon a third member within five days after their appointments, the board shall appoint the third member. Once appointed, the council shall make a final settlement of the issues submitted to it pursuant to division (G) of this section.

(f) Any other dispute settlement procedure mutually agreed to by the parties.

(2) If, fifty days before the expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement, the parties are unable to reach an agreement, any party may request the state employment relations board to intervene. The request shall set forth the names and addresses of the parties, the issues involved, and, if applicable, the expiration date of any agreement.

The board shall intervene and investigate the dispute to determine whether the parties have engaged in collective bargaining.

If an impasse exists or forty-five days before the expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement if one exists, the board shall appoint a mediator to assist the parties in the collective bargaining process.

(3) Any time after the appointment of a mediator, either party may request the appointment of a fact-finding panel. Within fifteen days after receipt of a request for a fact-finding panel, the board shall appoint a fact-finding panel of not more than three members who have been selected by the parties in accordance with rules established by the board, from a list of qualified persons maintained by the board.

(a) The fact-finding panel shall, in accordance with rules and procedures established by the board that include the regulation of costs and expenses of fact-finding, gather facts and make recommendations for the resolution of the matter. The board shall by its rules require each party to specify in writing the unresolved issues and its position on each issue to the fact-finding panel. The fact-finding panel shall make final recommendations as to all the unresolved issues.

(b) The board may continue mediation, order the parties to engage in collective bargaining until the expiration date of the agreement, or both.

(4) The following guidelines apply to fact-finding:

(a) The fact-finding panel may establish times and place of hearings which shall be, where feasible, in the jurisdiction of the state.

(b) The fact-finding panel shall conduct the hearing pursuant to rules established by the board.

(c) Upon request of the fact-finding panel, the board shall issue subpoenas for hearings conducted by the panel.

(d) The fact-finding panel may administer oaths.

(e) The board shall prescribe guidelines for the fact-finding panel to follow in making findings. In making its recommendations, the fact-finding panel shall take into consideration the factors listed in divisions (G)(7)(a) to (f) of this section.

(f) The fact-finding panel may attempt mediation at any time during the fact-finding process. From the time of appointment until the fact-finding panel makes a final recommendation, it shall not discuss the recommendations for settlement of the dispute with parties other than the direct parties to the dispute.

(5) The fact-finding panel, acting by a majority of its members, shall transmit its findings of fact and recommendations on the unresolved issues to the public employer and employee organization involved and to the board no later than fourteen days after the appointment of the fact-finding panel, unless the parties mutually agree to an extension. The parties shall share the cost of the fact-finding panel in a manner agreed to by the parties.

(6)(a) Not later than seven days after the findings and recommendations are sent, the legislative body, by a three-fifths vote of its total membership, and in the case of the public employee organization, the membership, by a three-fifths vote of the total membership, may reject the recommendations; if neither rejects the recommendations, the recommendations shall be deemed agreed upon as the final resolution of the issues submitted and a collective bargaining agreement shall be executed between the parties, including the fact-finding panel's recommendations, except as otherwise modified by the parties by mutual agreement. If either the legislative body or the public employee organization rejects the recommendations, the board shall publicize the findings of fact and recommendations of the fact-finding panel. The board shall adopt rules governing the procedures and methods for public employees to vote on the recommendations of the fact-finding panel.

(b) As used in division (C)(6)(a) of this section, "legislative body" means the controlling board when the state or any of its agencies, authorities, commissions, boards, or other branch of public employment is party to the fact-finding process.

(D) If the parties are unable to reach agreement within seven days after the publication of findings and recommendations from the fact-finding panel or the collective bargaining agreement, if one exists, has expired, then the:

(1) Public employees who are prohibited from striking under this division shall submit the matter to a final offer settlement procedure pursuant to a board order issued forthwith to the parties to settle by a conciliator selected by the parties. The parties shall request from the board a list of five qualified conciliators and the parties shall select a single conciliator from the list by alternate striking of names. If the parties cannot agree upon a conciliator within five days after the board order, the board shall on the sixth day after its order appoint a conciliator from a list of qualified persons maintained by the board or shall request a list of qualified conciliators from the American arbitration association and appoint therefrom.

The following public employees shall not strike:

(a) Members of a police or fire department;

(b) Members of the state highway patrol;

(c) Deputy sheriffs;

(d) Dispatchers employed by a police, fire, or sheriff's department or the state highway patrol or civilian dispatchers employed by a public employer other than a police, fire, or sheriff's department to dispatch police, fire, sheriff's department, or emergency medical or rescue personnel and units;

(e) Members of an exclusive nurse's unit;

(f) Employees of Ohio deaf and blind education services;

(g) Employees of any public employee retirement system;

(h) Corrections officers;

(i) Guards at penal or mental institutions;

(j) Special police officers appointed in accordance with sections 5119.08 and 5123.13 of the Revised Code;

(k) Psychiatric attendants employed at mental health forensic facilities;

(l) Youth leaders employed at juvenile correctional facilities;

(m) Members of a law enforcement security force that is established and maintained exclusively by a board of county commissioners and whose members are employed by that board;

(n) Full-time faculty members of any state institution of higher education.

(2) Public employees other than those listed in division (D)(1) of this section have the right to strike under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code provided that the employee organization representing the employees has given a ten-day prior written notice of an intent to strike to the public employer and to the board, and further provided that the strike is for full, consecutive work days and the beginning date of the strike is at least ten work days after the ending date of the most recent prior strike involving the same bargaining unit; however, the board, at its discretion, may attempt mediation at any time.

(E) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the parties, at any time, from voluntarily agreeing to submit any or all of the issues in dispute to any other alternative dispute settlement procedure. An agreement or statutory requirement to arbitrate or to settle a dispute pursuant to a final offer settlement procedure and the award issued in accordance with the agreement or statutory requirement is enforceable in the same manner as specified in division (B) of section 4117.09 of the Revised Code.

(F) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a party from seeking enforcement of a collective bargaining agreement or a conciliator's award as specified in division (B) of section 4117.09 of the Revised Code.

(G) The following guidelines apply to final offer settlement proceedings under division (D)(1) of this section:

(1) The parties shall submit to final offer settlement those issues that are subject to collective bargaining as provided by section 4117.08 of the Revised Code and upon which the parties have not reached agreement and other matters mutually agreed to by the public employer and the exclusive representative; except that the conciliator may attempt mediation at any time.

(2) The conciliator shall hold a hearing within thirty days of the board's order to submit to a final offer settlement procedure, or as soon thereafter as is practicable.

(3) The conciliator shall conduct the hearing pursuant to rules developed by the board. The conciliator shall establish the hearing time and place, but it shall be, where feasible, within the jurisdiction of the state. Not later than five calendar days before the hearing, each of the parties shall submit to the conciliator, to the opposing party, and to the board, a written report summarizing the unresolved issues, the party's final offer as to the issues, and the rationale for that position.

(4) Upon the request by the conciliator, the board shall issue subpoenas for the hearing.

(5) The conciliator may administer oaths.

(6) The conciliator shall hear testimony from the parties and provide for a written record to be made of all statements at the hearing. The board shall submit for inclusion in the record and for consideration by the conciliator the written report and recommendation of the fact-finders.

(7) After hearing, the conciliator shall resolve the dispute between the parties by selecting, on an issue-by-issue basis, from between each of the party's final settlement offers, taking into consideration the following:

(a) Past collectively bargained agreements, if any, between the parties;

(b) Comparison of the issues submitted to final offer settlement relative to the employees in the bargaining unit involved with those issues related to other public and private employees doing comparable work, giving consideration to factors peculiar to the area and classification involved;

(c) The interests and welfare of the public, the ability of the public employer to finance and administer the issues proposed, and the effect of the adjustments on the normal standard of public service;

(d) The lawful authority of the public employer;

(e) The stipulations of the parties;

(f) Such other factors, not confined to those listed in this section, which are normally or traditionally taken into consideration in the determination of the issues submitted to final offer settlement through voluntary collective bargaining, mediation, fact-finding, or other impasse resolution procedures in the public service or in private employment.

(8) Final offer settlement awards made under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code are subject to Chapter 2711. of the Revised Code.

(9) If more than one conciliator is used, the determination must be by majority vote.

(10) The conciliator shall make written findings of fact and promulgate a written opinion and order upon the issues presented to the conciliator, and upon the record made before the conciliator and shall mail or otherwise deliver a true copy thereof to the parties and the board.

(11) Increases in rates of compensation and other matters with cost implications awarded by the conciliator may be effective only at the start of the fiscal year next commencing after the date of the final offer settlement award; provided that if a new fiscal year has commenced since the issuance of the board order to submit to a final offer settlement procedure, the awarded increases may be retroactive to the commencement of the new fiscal year. The parties may, at any time, amend or modify a conciliator's award or order by mutual agreement.

(12) The parties shall bear equally the cost of the final offer settlement procedure.

(13) Conciliators appointed pursuant to this section shall be residents of the state.

(H) All final offer settlement awards and orders of the conciliator made pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code are subject to review by the court of common pleas having jurisdiction over the public employer as provided in Chapter 2711. of the Revised Code. If the public employer is located in more than one court of common pleas district, the court of common pleas in which the principal office of the chief executive is located has jurisdiction.

(I) The issuance of a final offer settlement award constitutes a binding mandate to the public employer and the exclusive representative to take whatever actions are necessary to implement the award.

Last updated April 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM

Section 4117.15 | Strike - injunction.

• Effective: June 27, 2025
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 1 - 136th General Assembly

(A) Whenever a strike by public employees who are prohibited from striking under division (D)(1) of section 4117.14 of the Revised Code, a strike by other public employees during the pendency of the settlement procedures set forth in section 4117.14 of the Revised Code, or a strike during the term or extended term of a collective bargaining agreement occurs, the public employer may seek an injunction against the strike in the court of common pleas of the county in which the strike is located.

(B) An unfair labor practice by a public employer is not a defense to the injunction proceeding noted in division (A) of this section. Allegations of unfair labor practices during the settlement procedures set forth in section 4117.14 of the Revised Code shall receive priority by the state employment relations board.

(C) No public employee is entitled to pay or compensation from the public employer for the period engaged in any strike.

Last updated April 29, 2025 at 4:41 PM

Section 4117.16 | Temporary restraining order enjoining strike.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) Whenever the public employer believes that a lawful strike creates clear and present danger to the health or safety of the public, the public employer may petition the court of common pleas having jurisdiction over the parties to issue a temporary restraining order enjoining the strike. If the court finds probable cause to believe that the strike may be a clear and present danger to the public health or safety, it has jurisdiction to issue a temporary restraining order, not to exceed seventy-two hours, enjoining the strike.

Should a court issue a temporary restraining order, the public employer shall immediately request authorization of the state employment relations board to enjoin the strike beyond the effective period of the temporary restraining order. The board shall determine within the effective period of the temporary restraining order whether the strike creates a clear and present danger to the health or safety of the public.

If the board finds that a clear and present danger exists, the common pleas court which issued the temporary restraining order has jurisdiction to issue orders to further enjoin the strike. However, the court shall make provisions in any injunction or other order issued beyond the temporary restraining order for the automatic termination of the injunction or other order at the end of sixty days following the end of the temporary restraining order or when an agreement is reached, whichever occurs first. Thereafter, no court has jurisdiction to issue any further injunction or other orders pursuant to this section. The order of the court is appealable as provided in the Appellate Rules.

(B) Whenever a court of common pleas has issued an order, other than a temporary restraining order, under division (A) of this section enjoining acts or practices which create a clear and present danger to the public health or safety, the parties to the labor dispute giving rise to the order shall engage in collective bargaining for a period of sixty days from the date of the order or until agreement is reached, whichever occurs first. The parties shall collectively bargain with the assistance of a mediator appointed by the board. The mediator, at his discretion, may require that the parties collectively bargain in public or in private. At any time after there has been forty-five days of collective bargaining and no agreement has been reached, the mediator may make public a report on the current position of the parties to the dispute and the efforts which have been made for settlement. The report shall include a statement by each party of its position and a statement of the employee organization's and public employer's offers of settlement.

Section 4117.17 | Board proceedings are public records.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

Formal charges, petitions, complaints, orders, evidence, fact-finding recommendations, and other proceedings instituted by the state employment relations board under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code are public records and available for inspection or copying subject to rules made by the board. All hearings on complaints or petitions pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code are open to the public.

Section 4117.18 | Prohibited acts.

• Effective: September 21, 1995
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 200 - 121st General Assembly

(A) No person shall purposely refuse to obey an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code.

(B) No person shall purposely refuse to obey a lawful order of the state employment relations board, nor shall any person prevent or attempt to prevent any member of the board or any agent of the board from performing his lawful duties.

(C) No public employee shall engage in any unauthorized strike.

Section 4117.19 | Employee organization reports.

• Effective: March 24, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 372 - 127th General Assembly

(A) Every employee organization that is certified or recognized as a representative of public employees under this chapter shall file with the state employment relations board a registration report that is signed by its president or other appropriate officer. The report shall be in a form prescribed by the board and accompanied by two copies of the employee organization's constitution and bylaws. The board shall accept a filing by a statewide, national, or international employee organization of its constitution and bylaws in lieu of a filing of the documents by each subordinate organization. The exclusive representative or other employee organization originally filing its constitution and bylaws shall report, promptly, to the board all changes or amendments to its constitution and bylaws.

(B) Every employee organization shall file with the board an annual report. The report shall be in a form prescribed by the board and shall contain the following information:

(1) The names and addresses of the organization, any parent organization or organizations with which it is affiliated, and all organizationwide officers;

(2) The name and address of its local agent for service of process;

(3) A general description of the public employees the organization represents or seeks to represent;

(4) The amounts of the initiation fee and monthly dues members must pay;

(5) A pledge, in a form prescribed by the board, that the organization will comply with the laws of the state and that it will accept members without regard to age, race, color, sex, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability as defined in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code, military status as defined in that section, or physical disability as provided by law:

(6) A financial report.

(C) The constitution or bylaws of every employee organization shall do all of the following:

(1) Require that the organization keep accurate accounts of all income and expenses, prepare an annual financial report, keep open for inspection by any member of the organization its accounts, and make loans to officers and agents only on terms and conditions available to all members;

(2) Prohibit business or financial interests of its officers and agents, their spouses, minor children, parents, or otherwise, in conflict with the fiduciary obligation of such persons to the organization;

(3) When specifically requested by the board, require every official who is designated as a fiscal officer of an employee organization and who is responsible for funds or other property of the organization or trust in which an organization is interested, or a subsidiary organization be bonded with the amount, scope, and form of the bond determined by the board;

(4) Require periodic elections of officers by secret ballot subject to recognized safeguards concerning the equal right of all members to nominate, seek office, and vote in the elections, the right of individual members to participate in the affairs of the organization, and fair and equitable procedures in disciplinary actions.

(D) The board shall prescribe rules necessary to govern the establishment and reporting of trusteeships over employee organizations. The establishment of trusteeships is permissible only if the constitution or bylaws of the organization set forth reasonable procedures.

(E) The board may withhold certification of an employee organization that willfully refuses to register or file an annual report or that willfully refuses to comply with other provisions of this section. The board may revoke a certification of an employee organization for willfully failing to comply with this section. The board may enforce the prohibitions contained in this section by petitioning the court of common pleas of the county in which the violation occurs for an injunction. Persons complaining of a violation of this section shall file the complaint with the board.

(F) Upon the written request to the board of any member of a certified employee organization and where the board determines the necessity for an audit, the board may require the employee organization to provide a certified audit of its financial records.

(G) Any employee organization subject to the "Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959," 73 Stat. 519, 29 U.S.C.A., 401, as amended, may file copies with the board of all reports it is required to file under that act in lieu of compliance with all parts of this section other than division (A) of this section. The board shall accept a filing by a statewide, national, or international employee organization of its reports in lieu of a filing of such reports by each subordinate organization.

Section 4117.20 | Prohibiting conflict of interest in bargaining.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) No person who is a member of the same local, state, national, or international organization as the employee organization with which the public employer is bargaining or who has an interest in the outcome of the bargaining, which interest is in conflict with the interest of the public employer, shall participate on behalf of the public employer in the collective bargaining process except that the person may, where entitled, vote on the ratification of an agreement.

(B) The public employer shall immediately remove from his role, if any, in the collective bargaining negotiations or in any matter in connection with negotiations any person who violates division (A) of this section.

Section 4117.21 | Collective bargaining meetings private.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

Collective bargaining meetings between public employers and employee organizations are private, and are not subject to section 121.22 of the Revised Code.

Section 4117.22 | Chapter liberally construed.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code shall be construed liberally for the accomplishment of the purpose of promoting orderly and constructive relationships between all public employers and their employees.

Section 4117.23 | Unauthorized strikes.

• Effective: April 1, 1984
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 133 - 115th General Assembly

(A) In the case of a strike that is not authorized in accordance with this chapter, the public employer may notify the state employment relations board of the strike and request the board to determine whether the strike is authorized under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code. The board shall make its decision within seventy-two hours of receiving the request from the public employer.

(B) If the board determines that the strike is not authorized then the public employer:

(1) May remove or suspend those employees who one day after notification by the public employer of the board decision that a strike is not authorized continue to engage in the nonauthorized strike; and

(2) If the employee is appointed or reappointed, employed, or reemployed, as a public employee, within the same appointing authority, may impose the following conditions:

(a) The employee's compensation shall in no event exceed that received by him immediately prior to the time of the violation.

(b) The employee's compensation is not increased until after the expiration of one year from the appointment or reappointment, employment, or reemployment.

(3) Shall deduct from each striking employee's wages, if the board also determines that the public employer did not provoke the strike, the equivalent of two days' wages for each day the employee remains on strike commencing one day after receiving the notice called for in division (B)(1) of this section. The employer shall give the employee credit for wages not paid after that point in time due to the employee's absence from his place of employment because he is on strike.

Any penalty that is imposed upon the employee, except for the penalty imposed under division (B)(3) of this section, may be appealed to the board. The board may modify, suspend, or reverse the penalty imposed by the public employer, if the board does not find that the penalties are appropriate to the situation; the imposition of a penalty is appealable to the court.

Notwithstanding the provision in this section that authorizes certain penalties to commence one day after a public employee is notified that the board has determined the employee is engaged in an unauthorized strike, the board may authorize the public employer, if the public employer requests it, to impose the penalties contained in this section retroactive to the date the unauthorized strike commences.

Section 4117.24 | Training and publications fund.

• Effective: July 17, 2009
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 128th General Assembly

(A) The training, publications, and grants fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The state employment relations board shall deposit into the training, publications, and grants fund all moneys received from the following sources:

(1) Payments received by the state employment relations board for copies of documents, rulebooks, and other publications;

(2) Fees received from seminar participants;

(3) Receipts from the sale of clearinghouse data;

(4) Moneys received from grants, donations, awards, bequests, gifts, reimbursements, and similar funds;

(5) Reimbursement received for professional services and expenses related to professional services;

(6) Funds received to support the development of labor relations services and programs;

(7) Moneys received by the state personnel board of review pursuant to division (C) of section 124.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) The state employment relations board shall use all moneys deposited into the training, publications, and grants fund to defray all of the following:

(1) The costs of furnishing and making available copies of documents, rulebooks, and other publications;

(2) The costs of planning, organizing, and conducting training seminars;

(3) The costs associated with grant projects, innovative labor-management cooperation programs, research projects related to these grants and programs, and the advancement in professionalism of public sector relations;

(4) The professional development of state employment relations board employees;

(5) The costs of compiling clearinghouse data;

(6) The cost of producing the administrative record of the state personnel board of review.

The state employment relations board may seek, solicit, apply for, receive, and accept grants, gifts, and contributions of money, property, labor, and other things of value to be held for, used for, and applied to only the purpose for which the grants, gifts, and contributions are made, from individuals, private and public corporations, the United States or any agency thereof, the state or any agency thereof, and any political subdivision of the state, and may enter into any contract with any such public or private source in connection therewith to be held for, used for, and applied to only the purposes for which such grants are made and contracts are entered into, all subject to and in accordance with the purposes of this chapter. Any money received from the grants, gifts, contributions, or contracts shall be deposited into the training, publications, and grants fund.