MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council on Tuesday night is scheduled to vote on a fact-finder’s report for a new labor contract with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3088.
The union’s current three-year deal with the city expired at the end of April 2024 and contract negotiations have been ongoing.
According to legislation coming to local lawmakers, the contract negotiations resulted in an impasse and a fact-finder was appointed to make final recommendations on unresolved issues.
In public union contract negotiations, fact-finders are typically appointed after the parties reach an impasse.
The process usually involves the state’s labor relations board, or similar agency, providing a list of qualified neutral arbiters. The parties then select a fact-finder, often by alternately striking names from the list until a single individual remains.
The fact-finder’s report, which is not yet public, will be accepted or rejected by City Council Tuesday night.
Under Ohio law, both sides have seven days after the report is issued to vote on it. If the report is rejected by either side, the process moves to binding conciliation.
If neither side rejects it, it’s considered accepted and becomes binding.
A new contract will be retroactive to the deal that expired nearly 16 months ago.
AFSCME Local 3088 represents about 150 city employees across a variety of positions.
They include motor equipment operators at the water and wastewater treatment plants; community development workers; snow plow operators; utility collectors; police records clerks and 9-1-1 communications workers; court clerks; water meter installers; Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport employees; maintenance workers; Clear Fork reservoir workers and employees at the parks department.
While those contract negotiations have been going on the longest, the city also has contract talks with the International Association of Firefighters Local 266 and the Mansfield Fraternal Order of Police William Taylor Lodge 32.
The city’s three-deal with the firefighters union expired March 31 and the deal with the local police unions also expired this year on July 31.
Council is also scheduled to:
— vote on the acceptance of a $2,500 donation from Worner Roofing to purchase socks and shoes in the Mansfield Police Department’s “Back to School Drive.”
— vote on the acceptance of a $1,000 donation from Gorman-Rupp Pumps to be used in the disc golf course at Middle Park.
— vote to authorize the public works director to apply for the 2026 inflow and infiltration reduction project, seeking a state bond issue grant.
— vote to allow the public works director to enter into a Military Construction Cooperative Agreement with the National Guard Bureau to build a 138kV electrical substation and distribution system for the the Ohio Air National Guard 179th Cyberspace Wing.
According to the legislation, the project is needed to meet increased electrical demands of the wing’s new cyber mission and will include improvements to serve new cyber operations facilities at the base located at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
The City of Mansfield is designated as the grantee under the project, subject to reimbursement by the NGB.
The city will act as the contracting agent for the project, including coordinating with FirstEnergy for connection to the transmission system.
The evening begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. with council caucus, followed immediately by the legislative session. All meetings are open to the public on the third floor of the city’s Municipal Building at 30 N. Diamond St.
Those wishing to attend may park in the upper parking lot off of Park Avenue or the lower employee lot off Third Street and enter through the first-floor police department entrance.
(Below is a PDF with legislation scheduled for Mansfield City Council consideration on Tuesday evening.)
