Baaaad move?: Here’s how goats may have violated a contract between city and labor union

Union employees of Columbus Water & Power are kicking up their hooves over the city’s use of contracted goats for brush grazing. 

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1632 filed a grievance on June 4 with Columbus Water & Power over the subcontracted goats.

The goats might have been a baaaaaad move as their contract violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the city and AFSCME 1632.

According to the grievance, on June 1, the Union became aware that management of Southerly Water Reclamation Plant failed to notify the union of its intent to subcontract. The subcontracted job consisted of removing weeds from various waterways, a task previously performed by union maintenance staff. 

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The contracted goats belong to the national business Goats on the Go, an eco-friendly alternative involving goat herding aimed at grazing noxious brush and invasive plants.

“The truth is that we have done this work before and can do this work at a lower cost than external contractors can,” AFSCME 1632 President Will Harmon told 614Now. “Not only did this result in unnecessary disrespect to workers, it also resulted in our workers having to clean up after the goats and perform extra work this week to finish the job. Public dollars should go to public workers who are trained and qualified to complete these jobs. Anything else is a disservice to the taxpayers and citizens of Columbus.”

The union requested that Southerly management give proper notice to the Union before future subcontracts, cease all current goat-grazing operations, and follow the intended CBA moving forward.

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