A state employment board is trying to stop an Ohio fire department from eliminating three battalion chiefs.
The State Employee Relations Board has filed a lawsuit asking a Mahoning County judge to issue a restraining order against the city of Youngstown in an effort to stop the municipality from cutting three battalion chief positions from the fire department, WKBN-TV reports. In November, the City Council voted 6-1 to reduce the number of battalion chiefs from six to three.
According to the state board's suit, the elimination of battalion chiefs was done to pay for a new radio system for firefighters. The system, which was bought in 2017, has been plagued by problems, and the fire union had filed a grievance about it, WKBN added.
The state board claims that funding a new radio system by reducing the number of battalion chiefs is a form of retaliation against the union for its grievance. That constitutes a violation of state law, the board's lawsuit argues.
The move by the state board has confused City Law Director Jeff Limbian.
“We think it’s odd because they’re asking the city to be restrained from doing something that’s already been done," he told WKBN. "The legislature, our city council, has already voted and eliminated those three positions through attrition, so there’s no immediate harm. There’s nothing to restrain.".
