‘Nothing done,’ library, union will head to hearing

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=50993

Heather Rutz - Mar. 25th, 2008
LIMA — The Lima Public Library and a union met for a two-hour unsuccessful mediation session Tuesday and will now head to a hearing over ongoing contract disputes. Officials from the library and Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 776 met in separate rooms with a mediator passing back and forth about three unfair labor practices filed by the union against the library. With no movement, the two sides will appear before an administrative law judge with the State Employment Relations Board, who will decide the cases. “Nothing got done,” said OAPSE Regional Director Chuck Roginski. “We’d love to settle all of this. By saying that I’m not suggesting they wouldn’t.” Library Director Scott Shafer and the library’s attorney attended on behalf of the library. Roginski, other state OAPSE officials, and local union officials attended on behalf of the union. No hearing date has been set, but could come this summer. SERB has found probable cause to have hearings on three unfair labor practice charges from the union against the library. The first is the union’s central charge that the library violated labor law by approving only part of a contract in December 2006 after a tentative agreement between the two had been reached. The other two are smaller matters that arose after negotiations broke down, including signs the library posted on the grounds during a union informational picket and the library’s refusing the union a room for a meeting. Library spokeswoman Karen Sommer confirmed the meeting Tuesday, but otherwise declined to talk about details of the mediation attempt, citing a gag order from SERB.