September 2013 Archives

In a dispute which lasted nearly nine years, attorney Robert Fetter argued that four court officers, each a member of AFSCME Council 25 and its Local 917, were wrongfully terminated from 36th District Court real estate division between 2004 and 2007. "Normally, arbitration decisions regarding discharges occur six months to a year after the person's discharge," according to Fetter. "But you have to have a willing partner on the other side, which we just have not had in this situation," Fetter added. "It's gone through years of litigation without 36th District Court doing anything unless ordered to do so." Initially, the employer refused to arbitrate the case at all. The award was subsequent to Fetter's successful efforts before the Michigan Supreme Court which found that the arbitrator had the authority to award reinstatement and back pay.