State employees denied hazard pay

SANDUSKY — Thousands of state workers, including hundreds of employees at the Ohio Veterans Home in Perkins Township, have been told they won't get emergency pay for staying on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2021-2024 Ohio Civil Service Employees Association contract says that during an emergency, declared by the state's director of public safety, employees are entitled to an additional $8 per hour. The union filed a grievance, contending that the state had failed to provide the extra pay. But on Monday, an arbitrator ruled against the union, dashing the hopes of union members, at least for now. The union represents about 28,000 employees, including about 27,000 state employees under the state contract and about another 1,000 local government workers unaffected by the ruling. A union spokeswoman, Sally Meckling, said the ruling affects 332 bargaining unit members at the Sandusky Ohio Veterans Home. An Ohio Veterans Home employee who spoke to the Register estimated he should have received about $16,000 in additional pay and said some nurses are owed $20,000 or more. Employees at the OVH had to deal with repeated outbreaks of COVID-19 during the pandemic. During the arbitration battle, union officials pointed out that on March 9, 2020, Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order declaring a "state of emergency" in Ohio because of the pandemic. Management argued that the declaration had to come from the director of public safety. In his 31-page ruling, arbitrator Gregory P. Stutzer ruled that while an emergency was declared, a "public safety emergency" was not declared. OCSEA officials blasted the ruling, saying they strongly disagree, and said they will try to fight it in court. But they admitted that overturning the arbitrator's decision won't be easy. "The state has the ability to pay essential employees right now for their role in the pandemic under the American Rescue Plan. These employees should be rewarded, not punished by management and the administration," said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. "Even though management may think this is a win, it's a loss for everyone. Essential employees are the backbone of the State of Ohio," Mabe said. The union can go to court to try to overturn the arbitrator's ruling, but the union said in a press release that the legal hurdle to scrap it is "exceedingly high." Possible reasons for overturning an arbitrator's ruling are partiality, corruption, misconduct, or exceeding an arbitrator's legal authority, the union said. "The union's Office of General Counsel will be reviewing the decision and considering other legal options," the union said in its statement. Picketing in Columbus is planned to protest the situation, Meckling said.