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Sykes Urges
DeWine to Respect Court of Appeals Decision Upholding Local
Hiring Standards
State Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) last week called on Ohio
Attorney General Mike DeWine to respect the 8th
District of Ohio Court of Appeals’ recent decision declaring
a 2016 state law outlawing local hiring standards, House
Bill 180, unconstitutional.*
“Local hiring standards represent a commitment by cities to
combat underemployment and reinvest in local communities.
Workers benefit from public construction projects that often
include jobs with apprenticeships – clear career paths and
quality on-the-job training that pay dividends beyond the
duration of a single project,” Sykes wrote in a letter to
DeWine.
The City of Cleveland sued the state in 2016 after the
Republican-passed bill directly conflicted with the city’s
Fannie Lewis law, a local ordinance requiring public
construction be completed with at least 20 percent local
labor. Akron similarly uses local hiring standards on more
than $1 billion in public works projects.
“Ohioans deserve a fair shot at good-paying local jobs
because they have a stake in rebuilding the communities
where they live and raise their families,” Sykes continued.
“By putting money back in the hands of Ohio workers, local
hiring ordinances like Cleveland’s Fannie Lewis Law are
strengthening local businesses and giving workers the
opportunity to get ahead. Without local hiring ordinances,
investments would be more likely to flow to out of state
companies and workers with no stake in the health and
success of our regional economies.”
Sykes said she plans to introduce legislation in the new
year that will strengthen Ohio communities’ ability to make
decisions about local hiring standards.
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