Arbitrator Rules Montgomery County Violated Union Contract

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Arbitrator Herbert Fishgold has ordered Montgomery County to restore 60 hours of compensatory leave to 80 long-term employees who the County claimed had been credited with the leave in “error.” In his January 18 decision, Fishgold ruled that the County had reneged on a legitimate agreement negotiated with UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO to make up for austerity measures imposed on the workforce in a 2009 negotiated agreement. “The County’s order to rescind the leave for this group of long-term employees was not just wrong, it was petty and vengeful,” declared Local 1994 President Gino Renne. “Whatever management’s motivation was, we are grateful that the arbitrator recognized it for what it was: a violation of the contract. The decision is also another example of the importance of free collective bargaining for public workers.” - excerpted from a longer report on the UFCW 1994 website.