An arbitrator says under a labor contract agreement, the city of Ottawa has the right to contract for work that it has contracted for before. Mayor Dan Aussem says that’s the ruling that came at the end of a two-and-a-half hour hearing Wednesday. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees filed a complaint because the city hired others for lawn mowing, snow plowing, and Lincoln-Douglas fountain maintenance–work the union members have been doing.
The arbitrator also asked what it would hurt for the city to notify the union in advance about such things. Aussem says the city agreed to make such notifications. AFSCME members say they didn’t know about some of the work being contracted out until contractors showed up to do it. They also say City Hall has never explained why it thinks they can’t get all the work done.