Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council, Inc. v. Perry County Commissioners

In Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council, Inc. v. Perry County Commissioners (July 24, 2003), Perry App. No. 02-CA-14, 2003 Ohio 4038, the Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court's decision which vacated an arbitration award where plain language in the parties' collective bargaining agreement vested the sheriff's office with sole discretion to determine whether long term layoffs were necessary. The court there found that the arbitrator erred when he chose to review the county's finances based on his interpretation of the Ohio Revised Code. The arbitrator in Perry exceeded the scope of his authority when he used resources outside the clear and unambiguous terms in the agreement which vested power to institute layoffs solely in the sheriff's office.