Employee files grievance against Pittsylvania County

By: John Crane | GoDanRiver
Published: June 25, 2009

Pittsylvania County Circuit Court will hear the case of a man who has filed a grievance against the county.

Ernie Hoch, the county’s solid-waste director, seeks to retain his job after the Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate the position, a decision that takes effect Tuesday.

Hoch was hired as Pittsylvania County’s solid-waste director on Jan. 15, 2007, and promoted to director of public works in April 2008. But in September, Hoch was demoted back to solid-waste director after the county eliminated the public-works director position, Hoch said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

The board voted to get rid of the solid-waste position this past April as part of a plan to re-organize operations at the county landfill in Dry Fork.

Hoch filed his grievance with County Administrator Dan Sleeper on May 26. Sleeper rejected the grievance as “non-grievable,” so Hoch filed it in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court. A hearing to determine whether Hoch has a true grievance will be held at 1 p.m. July 9 in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court.

Circuit Court Judge Charles Strauss recused himself from the case after Hoch asked him to consider it. Danville Circuit Court Judge David Melesco will hear the case.

Sleeper declined to comment on the matter Wednesday.

Hoch, whose annual salary is $58,000, hopes to keep his job and is seeking back pay.

In a June 11 letter to Circuit Court, Hoch states the “county violated its own personnel policies when the Board of Supervisors terminate(d) me for cause, by-passing the county administrator who is the exclusive decision-maker regarding job performance decisions.”

• Contact John R. Crane at jcrane@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7987.