YSU Unions want records privacy

YSU turned over proposals from one union but did not for another.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A lawyer representing two unions at Youngstown State University wants a court to say that written and oral statements made during collective bargaining aren't public records.
A hearing Wednesday was postponed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on the unions' request for a preliminary injunction preventing release of collective bargaining material by the university.
A common pleas magistrate had ruled against temporary restraining orders sought by the unions to stop YSU from releasing the documents.
YSU's Association of Classified Employees and the university's chapter of the Ohio Education Association filed an amended complaint in common pleas court for a declaratory judgment and permanent injunction.
That action ended the need for the preliminary injunction hearing.
Atty. Timothy Piatt, lawyer for both unions, said the matter will now proceed through the courts like any other civil suit that is filed.
The university will have an opportunity to respond to the amended complaint, and the issue will either be settled or proceed to trial.
Both unions contend that negotiation meetings and minutes of those meetings, which include proposals exchanged by both sides to reach a new contract, are private and exempt from public disclosure.
The university, acting upon a request from The Vindicator earlier this month, released the proposals the classified employees made at the beginning of negotiations without the union agreeing to that disclosure, the amended complaint says.
The university erroneously believed those proposals were public records, the unions say.