Judge denies motion to move UAW suit

Judge denies motion to move UAW suit

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. District Court Judge Benita Pearson this week denied General Motors’ motion to move a pending lawsuit by United Automobile Workers International to the Michigan courts.

GM sought the venue change “for the convenience of parties and witnesses,” as both the UAW and GM are headquartered in Detroit, the ruling reads.

The union’s suit, filed in February to stop closure of the automaker’s Lordstown plant and award pay to laid-off workers, claims about 1,200 of its active members were employed there, compared to a few hundred at plants in Michigan and Maryland.

The ruling states the “vast majority” of employees affected by the closures, 74 percent, were employed in the Ohio court’s Northern District.

“The harm caused by GM’s ‘unallocation’ decision will have the greatest impact in the [northern district], not at GM headquarters,” Judge Pearson wrote.

Employee files lawsuit over blast

YOUNGSTOWN

A sheet-metal worker is suing his city-based employer Roth Bros. Inc., its owner Sodexo Inc. of Maryland and the city’s Exal Corp. for negligence after a workplace blast that burned his upper body.

The worker, Thomas Clover, filed a negligence and tort claims against the companies in federal court Friday, records show.

The suit claims Clover was grinding pipe on Exal’s East Side property when sparks ignited flammable gases venting from a nearby manhole. The blast burned Clover’s face, head, torso, arms and hands and launched debris at him, according to the suit.

The suit seeks at least $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, claiming the defendants should have been aware the flammable gases created a hazard in the work zone and that they failed to maintain a safe work environment.

Exal Corp., 1 Performance Place, manufactures aluminum containers. It was founded in 1993.

Bank donates $10K to Cardinal Mooney

YOUNGSTOWN

Home Savings Bank donated a check for $10,000 to Cardinal Mooney High School to use for furniture upgrades and facility improvements. The funds will be used primarily for upgrades in Hughes Hall and the school library, media and resource center.

Companies share space in Boardman

BOARDMAN

Oh Donut Company and Spruce Home Decor are open in a shared space at 1315 Boardman-Canfield Road next to One Hot Cookie.

Sweeney Buick to break ground on new facility

BOARDMAN

Sweeney Buick GMC will have an official groundbreaking ceremony on its new 50,000-square-foot automotive sales, service and performance parts facility at 11 a.m. Monday at 7997 Market St. It also will serve as the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC headquarters.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc.,25.040.23

Aqua America, .20 38.650.94

Avalon Holdings,2.49‚àí0.10

Chemical Bank, .2842.770.07

Community Health Sys, .213.45‚àí0.03

Cortland Bancorp, .1122.600.11

Farmers Nat., .0714.740.10

First Energy, .36 42.130.77

Fifth/Third, .1628.030.20

First Niles Financial, .057.00‚àí0.75

FNB Corp., .1211.990.01

General Motors, .3837.890.34

General Electric, .1210.130.09

Huntington Bank, .11 13.660.08

JP Morgan Chase, .56112.51‚àí0.01

Key Corp, .1117.300.01

Macy’s, .38 22.46‚àí0.24

Parker Hannifin, .76173.621.85

PNC, .75132.440.50

Simon Prop. Grp., 2.88175.211.44

Stoneridge175.211.44

United Comm. Fin., .06 9.340.07

Selected prices from Friday’s 4 p.m. close.