NILES Union sues schools over the use of prisoners

The Niles law director declined to file the suit earlier this month.
WARREN -- Members of a local labor union filed a lawsuit against Niles City Schools officials, after the Niles law director declined to file it on their behalf.
Atty. Dennis Haines of Youngstown, who represents Laborers International Union Of North America Locals 935 in Warren and 125 in Youngstown, filed the taxpayers' civil lawsuit this week in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Ricky Rounds Jr. of St. John Street, Niles, and Thomas Dodrill, of Woodglen Avenue Niles. The men are members of Local 935, and are named because they are taxpayers in Niles, where the disputed work is taking place, Haines said.
The suit, filed against the superintendent, treasurer and past and present board members, asks that prisoners from Ohio Penal Industries be made to stop removing asbestos from the district's former junior high school building.
Haines said he had asked Niles Law Director J. Terrence Dull earlier this month to file the taxpayers lawsuit on behalf of the men, but Dull denied the request.
The suit wants all work to cease at the former Edison Junior High School, that the rest of the money owed to OPI be withheld and any money paid to them to date be returned, and that the schools put the project out to bid.
The situation
Since late last year, when work began at the building set to be demolished, union workers have routinely protested the work, saying school officials awarded the contract illegally.
School officials contend that they have no control over which workers are used, since the demolition project falls under the Ohio School Facilities Commission. The OSFC chose to use prison workers rather than put the project out to bid, they said.
The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Peter Kontos.
slshaulis@vindy.com