The following information is being provided to our Members should they find it necessary to file a grievance. Grievances are covered under Article 20 of the FOP Contract. Remember, grievances are not gripes. In order to file a grievance, you must be able to cite a specific article(s) of the current Contract which has been violated. If you have a problem with your Supervisor, I would ALWAYS encourage you to talk with your Supervisor and try to work it out, before you file a grievance. Also, you have the right to have an FOP Representative present at any type of Hearing, whether it be Grievance, Administrative, or Disciplinary. Any type of Hearing should be held on State time, NOT your own time.

 

*Disclaimer: The Ohio Labor Council and the Fraternal Order of Police DO NOT solicit Grievances from Members. However, if you are involved in a situation where the Contract has been violated, you have the right to file a Grievance. 

Step 1:

If it is necessary to file a grievance, complete the FOP grievance form. (Be sure it is the form with the 222 E. Town St. address, not the old Livingston Ave. address.) If you need help completing the form, contact an Associate or one of the Lodge Officers. Make 2 copies of the grievance. (Yes, you can use a State copier, a grievance is State business.) Give the original of the grievance to your immediate Supervisor. Keep one copy for yourself. The other copy send to: Ohio Labor Council, 222 E. Town St., Columbus, OH  43215. Attn: Tara Crawford. Note: A grievance must be filed within 20 days of the incident giving rise to the grievance. Your Supervisor should then schedule a Step 1 Hearing within 20 days. You have the right to have an FOP Representative attend the Hearing. Your Supervisor should then give a written response to the Step 1 Hearing, within 20 days. If the grievance cannot be resolved at Step 1, you have the right to move the grievance to Step 2.

Download Grievance Form (Word 97 Format)

Download Grievance Form (PFD Version) Adobe Acrobat Reader CLICK HERE

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Step 2:

To move a grievance to Step 2, it must be sent to Central Office in Columbus. Your Supervisor should have returned the original grievance to you, along with the written Step 1 response. Write a short memo from you, (the grievant), to the ODNR Office of Labor Relations, requesting the grievance be moved to Step 2. Send the memo, the original grievance, and the Step 1 response together to:

 

                                            ODNR - Labor Relations
                                            2045 Morse Road Bldg. D-1
                                            Columbus, Ohio 43229-6605

Again, you need to do this within 20 days of receiving the Step 1 response. If you need help, contact an Associate or Lodge Officer. The grievance will then be scheduled for a Step 2 Hearing. Once a grievance gets to Step 2, the process tends to slow down. Be patient, but don't forget about it. Sometimes the Step 2 Hearing is held at the Grievant's workplace, sometimes it is held in Columbus. If it is held at your facility, you will be requested to be there. If it is held in Columbus, you will not be requested to be there unless necessary. The Step 2 Hearing in Columbus will be handled by Joel Barden, our Staff Rep from the Ohio Labor Council. You will then receive a response from Management in regards to the Step 2 Hearing. Note: Grievances involving a Verbal or Written Reprimand cannot be appealed above Step 2. All other grievances may be appealed to Step 3, which is Arbitration. Should it be necessary to take a grievance to Step 3, that will be handled by Joel Barden, our OLC Staff Rep. Again, if you need help, contact an Associate, Lodge Officer , or Joel Barden for assistance.

 

This is a brief overview of the Grievance Procedure. I hope it helps with any questions you may have.