New Philadelphia, Ohio - OAPSE union officials are going to the courts to settle a dispute over Claymont’s use of replacement workers during the ongoing labor strike.

The union filed a complaint in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Tuesday accusing Claymont of hiring a Michigan-based company to recruit workers in violation of the Twin Cities' decades-old anti-strikebreaker ordinances. OAPSE Attorney Thomas Drabick says they are asking the judge to issue an injunction against the school district to halt this practice. 

“We believe that given these two municipal ordinances that are in place that prohibit that type of behavior, that it is improper and that the school district should be required to abide by the laws of the municipalities where they operate,” he says.

Drabik says the union is also asking the judge to step in and make Dennison and Uhrichsville start enforcing the ordinances.

“If people are working as replacement workers in violation of their ordinance, then they should issue a citation,” he says. “If Huffmaster is in there recruiting and hiring replacement workers for the school district, they should enforce the ordinance and cite Huffmaster.” 

Uhrichsville Law Director and Dennison Solicitor JJ Ong could not be reached for comment, but he said during last week’s Uhrichsville City Council meeting that similar ordinances have been struck down in other districts for being unconstitutional.

The complaint is scheduled for a hearing this Friday before Common Pleas Court Judge Edward O’Farrell.  

STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV