Findlay works to end time clock dispute

FINDLAY — Findlay may be close to ending the dispute over how salaried employees track their hours, but a new clash with the city's unions could be next. Findlay City Council's Finance Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that council rewrite the city's salary ordinance and end time clock requirements for salaried employees but still require them to track their hours so the city can verify vacation, sick time and pay. The Finance Committee is chaired by Councilman BJ Preston, R‑2, and includes councilmen Dan DeArment, R‑4; Rodney Phillips, R‑6; Dan DeLong, R‑7; and L. Reed Needles, R‑at‑large. In a Feb. 25 letter to council, Auditor Jim Staschiak accused Service-Safety Director Rob Martin of refusing to use the city's ExecuTime system and failing to report his hours accurately. In the letter, Staschiak called the issue straightforward: Martin continues to accrue vacation and sick leave, but without reliable time records, the auditor's office cannot verify how much he has actually earned. He demanded that council intervene. On Tuesday, Staschiak said the change in rules should satisfy future audits; however, he continued to question plans to give the city's Human Resources Department access to the timekeeping system. The committee agreed to table recommendations that would expand HR's access to the system and establish oversight of the timekeeping system until the auditor's office can review them. Police and fire timekeeping will be handled separately. Staschiak told the committee the city may need to bring in a labor attorney to determine what changes require bargaining under Ohio law. He said the city needs outside guidance to avoid missteps as it works with the unions. In a March 4 letter to council, Findlay Firefighters Local 381 urged city leaders not to hire outside labor counsel, writing that such a move "can create the impression that city leaders are unwilling to engage in direct, meaningful conversations with their workforce." The union said years of collaborative labor‑management work have protected "not only members of Local 381, but all city employees, and their families," and warned that outside attorneys in past negotiations prolonged disputes and increased costs. HR Director Amy Hayslett told the committee the city should expect pushback from its unions if timekeeping rules are changed without bargaining. The unions already have active grievances tied to ExecuTime that stretch back more than a year. The police union has argued that time clocks are "a hindrance" and said "the only remedy is to remove time clock use" for patrol officers. The fire union's attorney warned in December 2025 that installing time clocks without bargaining is an unfair labor practice, and fire union leaders have said ExecuTime affects overtime, shift trades and leave — all issues that must be negotiated under state law.