Decision of the Arbitrator The decision of the arbitrator shall be final, binding, and enforceable on the Parties. The arbitrator shall have the power to dispose of a grievance by any arrangement deemed just and equitable. However, the arbitrator shall not have the power to change this Agreement by altering, modifying, or amending any provision.
Arbitration Board Where the parties agree to a Board of Arbitration, the party referring the grievance to arbitration shall also provide the name of that party’s nominee to the Board of Arbitration. Within ten (10) days thereafter, the other party shall answer by registered mail, indicating the name and address of its nominee to the Board of Arbitration. The selection of the Chair shall be in accordance with the list of arbitrators above.
Selection of the Arbitrator a) Arbitration shall be by a single arbitrator.
b) The central parties shall select a mutually agreed upon arbitrator.
c) The central parties may refer multiple grievances to a single arbitrator.
d) Where the central parties are unable to agree upon an arbitrator within 10 days of referral to arbitration, either central party may request that the Minister of Labour appoint an arbitrator.
e) The remuneration and expenses of the arbitrator shall be shared equally between the central parties.
Xxxxxx of the Arbitrator It shall be the function of the arbitrator, and he/she shall be empowered, except as his/her powers are limited below, after due investigation, to make a decision in cases of alleged violation of the specific articles and sections of this Agreement.
1. The arbitrator shall have no power to add to, subtract from, disregard, alter, or modify any of the terms of this Agreement.
2. The arbitrator shall have no power to rule on any of the following:
a. Actions taken by the Employer with respect to probationary employees including, but not limited to, discipline and discharge.
b. Any claim or complaint for which there is another remedial procedure or forum established by law or by regulation having the force of law.
c. Any matter involving the content of an employee evaluation.
3. He/she shall have no power to change any practice, policy, or rule of the Employer nor to substitute his/her judgment for that of the Employer as to the reasonableness of any such practice, policy, rule, or any action taken by the Employer. His/her power shall be limited to deciding whether the Employer has violated the express articles or sections of this Agreement; and he/she shall not imply obligations and conditions binding upon the Employer from this Agreement, it being understood that any matter not specifically set forth herein remains within the reserved rights of the Employer.
4. He/she shall have no power to decide any question which, under this Agreement, is within the responsibility of management to decide. In rendering a decision, an arbitrator shall give due regard to the responsibility of management and shall so construe the Agreement that there will be no interference with such responsibilities, except as they may be specifically conditioned by this Agreement.
5. If either party disputes the arbitrability of any grievance under the terms of this Agreement, the arbitrator shall first determine the arbitrability of said dispute. By stipulation of the parties, the Arbitrator shall have the authority to concurrently hear both the jurisdictional issues and the merits of the dispute in the same proceeding. Should the Arbitrator determine that he/she is without jurisdiction to rule, the matter shall be dismissed without decision on the merits. Submission of jurisdictional issues to the Arbitrator shall not be regarded as a waiver by either party of its right to institute civil litigation contesting either the authority of the Arbitrator or any award allegedly rendered in excess of such authority.
6. There shall be no appeal from the arbitrator’s decision if within the scope of his/her authority as set forth above. It shall be final and binding on the Association, its members, the employee or employees involved and the Employer. Any litigation to vacate or enforce the Arbitrator’s decision must be initiated within six (6) months of the issuance of the Opinion and Award.
7. The fees and expenses of the arbitrator shall be shared equally by the Association and the Employer.
Expenses of Arbitration Board Each party shall pay:
(a) the fees and expenses of the nominee it appoints; and
(b) one-half of the fees and expenses of the Chairperson.
Step 4 - Arbitration After receipt of a notice to arbitrate from the Lodge President, designees of the City Manager and the Lodge President shall attempt to agree on an arbitrator. If this attempt is not successful or is waived, the arbitrator shall be selected by the parties making a joint request to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) for a panel list of nine (9) arbitrators with business addresses in Ohio. The parties shall then choose an arbitrator by alternately striking names from the list until such time as one
(1) name remains as the arbitrator chosen by the parties. Prior to beginning the striking procedure, either the Employer or the Lodge may reject the list and submit a request for another list from the arbitration tribunal. Each party may only reject the list once. In issuing an award, the arbitrator shall be limited to the enforcement of the specific provisions of the Agreement. The arbitrator may not alter, amend, modify, add to or subtract from the provisions of the Agreement. The question of arbitrability of a grievance may be raised by the Employer or the Lodge before the arbitration hearing on the grounds that the matter is nonarbitrable or beyond the arbitrator's jurisdiction. The first question to be placed before an arbitrator will be whether or not the alleged grievance is within the purview of arbitrability. Thereafter, the alleged grievance will be heard on its own merits before the same arbitrator. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding, subject to appeal under applicable state law. The arbitrator shall be without authority to recommend any right to relief on any alleged grievance occurring at any other time than the agreement period in which the right originated. The arbitrator shall not establish any new or different wage rates not negotiated as part of the Agreement. In case of discharge, suspension or reduction, the arbitrator shall have the authority to award modification of said discipline. Both the Lodge and the Employer shall share equally in the cost of the arbitration proceedings. Any member whose testimony is relevant to the arbitration, shall be released with pay to attend the hearing, provided that the hearing is held during the member's regular work hours. The expenses of any non-member witnesses shall be borne by the party requesting the non-member's attendance at the Arbitration Hearing. The arbitrator shall render in writing his or her findings and the award as quickly as possible within thirty (30) calendar days after the hearing is closed and post-hearing briefs are submitted. The arbitrator shall forward such findings and award to the City Manager, or designee, and to the Lodge President, or designee.
Step Four - Arbitration 1. With respect to all non-disciplinary grievances and disciplinary cases involving the discharge, suspension of three (3) days or more, or the reduction in rank, the OPBA may make a written request that the decision of the underlying grievance be submitted to binding arbitration pursuant to Step Four, hereunder. A written request for appellate arbitration must be submitted to the other party within fourteen (14) calendar days following such party’s receipt of the written decision at Step 3. In the event the decision at Step 3 is not referred to arbitration within the time limits prescribed, the decision of the Trustees or Designee shall be final and binding upon the OPBA, the member and the Township.
2. Upon receipt of a request for appellate arbitration, the Township and the OPBA shall, within fourteen (14) calendar days following the request for arbitration, jointly agree to an arbitrator or request a list of seven (7) impartial arbitrators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Upon receipt of the list of seven (7) arbitrators, the parties shall meet to select an arbitrator within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the list is received. The parties shall use the alternate strike method from the list of seven (7) arbitrators submitted to the parties by the FMCS. The party requesting the arbitration shall be the first (1st) to strike a name and alternate in this manner until one (1) name remains on the list. The remaining name shall be designated as the arbitrator to hear the dispute in question. Either party shall have the right to elect to reject the list in its entirety and to request the submission of a new seven (7) member panel, which election may only be exercised once. All procedures relative to the hearing shall be in accordance with the rules and regulations of the FMCS. The arbitrator shall hold the appellate arbitration promptly and issue a decision within a reasonable time thereafter.
3. The arbitrator shall determine the grievance in accordance with the terms of the Agreement in effect on the date of the incident giving rise to the grievance.
4. The arbitrator shall not have the authority to add to, subtract from, modify, change or alter any provision of this Agreement. The arbitrator shall be confined solely to the issues submitted for arbitration. The arbitrator shall not establish any new or different wage rates not negotiated as part of this Agreement. In cases of discharge, suspension or reduction in rank, the arbitrator shall have the authority to order modification of said discipline for the offense charged. In the event of a monetary award, the arbitrator shall limit any retroactive settlement to no earlier time than forty-five (45) calendar days prior to the date the grievance was presented to the Township in Step One of the Grievance Procedure.
5. The question of arbitrability of a grievance may be raised by either party before the arbitration hearing of the grievance, on the grounds that the matter is non- arbitrable or beyond the arbitrator’s jurisdiction. The first question to be placed before the arbitrator will be whether or not the alleged grievance is arbitrable. If the arbitrator determines the grievance is not arbitrable, the arbitrator shall render no decision on the merits.
6. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding upon the OPBA, the member and the Township. Any cost involved in obtaining the list of arbitrators shall be equally divided between the Township and the OPBA. All costs directly related to the services of the arbitrator shall be paid by the losing party. Expenses, if any, of the witnesses shall be borne by the party calling the witness except that member witnesses on duty time shall not lose any wages due from the Township. The fees of the court reporter shall be paid by the party asking for one. The fees of the court reporter shall be split equally if both parties desire a court reporter’s recording, or request a copy of any transcript. The Township shall not incur any overtime expense as a result of this Step.
