James I Prater v Ohio Education Association
Ohio Education Association Sued for Violating Collective Bargaining Agreement
A class action lawsuit has been filed in the Southern District Court of Ohio against the Ohio Education Association (OEA) for violations of the Labor Management Relations Act for breaching a collective bargaining agreement. Class members seek to enjoin OEA from breaching the collective bargaining agreement, to obtain an order restoring benefits coverage, to be made whole for losses, attorney's fees and costs.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that during the plaintiffs' employment with OEA, they were represented by the Professional Staff Union and the Ohio Associate Staff Union under a collective bargaining agreement under which OEA was contractually obligated to provide certain lifetime health benefits to OEA retirees – specifically to supplement the retirees' health coverage for costs that Medicare would not cover. In March of 2004, OEA notified some retirees that it had decided to cease providing those benefits.
