By C1 Staff
PITTSBURGH — A court reversed an arbitrator’s decision that would have allowed seven correctional officers to return to work at the State Correctional Institute Pittsburgh after being suspended for alleged inmate abuse.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the correctional officers did not file grievances with 15 working days of their suspensions, as required by their union’s contract with the Department of Corrections.
One officer filed 28 working days after getting written notice of his suspension, while the others filed 87 days after receiving notice.
A year ago, Arbitrator Ronald F. Talarico ruled that their indefinite suspensions violated the contract and that since the violations were ongoing, time limits did not apply. But the department appealed this decision, and the court found no language to back Talarico’s interpretation.
Only one officer had returned to work after being demoted; the rest are either facing charges, have been fired, or have not been returned to work.