The Grievant, a Police Officer, was dispatched to conduct a welfare check requested by the father of an autistic juvenile visiting her mother. The father reported receiving text messages from the juvenile stating the mother was yelling and screaming in the home. The Grievant reviewed the call notes prior to arrival and was aware the juvenile was autistic.

During the throes of the COVID Pandemic, the Sheriff and the Union negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) effective January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The parties agreed to a wage increase for 2020 and wage reopeners in 2021 and 2022 in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The Grievant, a Patrol Officer, works four (4) consecutive ten-hour shifts with three (3) consecutive days off.  Overtime is paid for all hours worked in excess of forty (40) hours in a normal workweek. The Employer notified its Officers that they would be required to attend a mandatory ten-hour training on July 19, 20, or 21.

The Grievant, a Jail Deputy, was terminated for allegedly violating four (4) Rules and Regulations. First, the Employer argued the Grievant violated its rule prohibiting employees from reading, playing games, watching TV or movies, or otherwise engaging in entertainment while on duty.

The Grievant was a Corrections Officer (CO) with less than two (2) years of service with the Sheriff’s Office.  As the Grievant and another CO, a black female, were preparing for a possible confrontation with an unruly inmate, the Grievant referred to the CO as a “hood rat” and “gangster.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) states that the Employer may require employees to work overtime; however, “no back to back forces will be required except in emergencies.”  The Grievant is a road patrol Deputy who works 12-hour shifts, 11:00 am to 11:00 pm.  Another Deputy worked the 7:00 pm to 7:00 am shift.