In re the Arbitration Between Cortland County & CSEA, Inc.
Petitioners, Cortland County Sheriff and Cortland County, were parties to a collective bargaining agreement with an unnamed respondent union. A correction officer, Lawrence Jackson, was placed on family and medical leave due to a work restriction related to plantar fasciitis, preventing him from working mandatory overtime. The respondent union filed a grievance alleging a violation of the CBA, which petitioners denied, leading the respondent to demand arbitration. Petitioners then sought to permanently stay arbitration, but the Supreme Court denied their application and compelled arbitration. On appeal, the court affirmed the Supreme Court's decision, finding the dispute arbitrable as it related to the CBA's provisions on work schedules, overtime, and light-duty assignments, and no public policy considerations prohibited arbitration.