State ex rel. Johnson v. Cleveland Hts./Univ. Hts. School Dist. Bd. of Edn.

**The Dispute** A school employee (Johnson) wanted the Cleveland Heights/University Heights School District to give them salary credits for law school courses they had completed. When the school board refused, Johnson went to court asking a judge to force the district to grant these credits, which would have increased their pay. **The Court's Decision** The court dismissed Johnson's case without ruling on whether they deserved the salary credits. Instead, the judge said Johnson couldn't bypass the school district's internal complaint process. Since Johnson was covered by a union contract that included specific steps for handling workplace disputes—including grievance procedures and arbitration—the court ruled they had to use those methods first. **What This Means for Workers** This case shows that unionized employees typically must follow their contract's dispute resolution process before going to court, even when they believe their employer is clearly wrong. While this might seem frustrating, these union-negotiated procedures often provide faster, less expensive ways to resolve workplace issues than lengthy court battles. Workers should familiarize themselves with their collective bargaining agreement's grievance process and use it when disputes arise with their employer.