Copley-Fairlawn City School Dist. Bd. of Edn. v. Copley Teachers Assn.

**What Happened** The Copley-Fairlawn City School District tried to include teacher attendance data as part of teacher evaluations. The teachers' union filed a grievance, arguing this violated their contract. The school district didn't want to resolve the dispute through arbitration (a process where a neutral third party makes a binding decision). Instead, the district wanted to handle the matter in court. **What the Court Decided** Both the trial court and appeals court ruled against the school district. The courts ordered that the dispute must go to arbitration as required by the teachers' contract. The school district lost its appeal and cannot avoid the arbitration process. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling reinforces that employers must honor arbitration agreements in union contracts. When workers have negotiated the right to arbitration for workplace disputes, employers cannot simply ignore these agreements and force issues into court instead. For unionized workers, this decision strengthens their ability to use the grievance and arbitration process they bargained for. It shows courts will enforce these contractual rights even when employers prefer different dispute resolution methods.