CLEVELAND — The city of Cleveland on Tuesday scheduled a news conference to discuss the Ohio Supreme Court's decision to overrule the Fannie Lewis Law.
Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson said the city will fight the decision, which is the latest in a pattern of decisions made by state legislature against the Fannie Lewis Law. He said the city will file for reconsideration, adding that the decision will not impact current and ongoing construction projects under contract.
"At minimum, we will ask them to reconsider their decision," Jackson said.
Jackson said a 10-year assessment of the public sector found $232 million was paid out to Cleveland workers as a result of the law. The 15-year-old Fannie Lewis Law in Cleveland puts the hiring mandate at least 20%, and Jackson said the contractors of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades performed at 24%.
"This is about equity, this is about disparity, this is about justice and injustice," Jackson said.
Jackson also noted Max S. Hayes High School's pre-apprenticeship program, which is run by the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades.
"Because of that, we've been able to take young people who had never had the opportunity to be part of the building trades, to move them into a pre-apprenticeship program, to a journeyman working on all these major projects you see, where the city of Cleveland has had participation in the financing of it," Jackson said.
Then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 180, which bans local hiring requirement laws, in May 2016. The city sued to keep the law, which requires hiring some local residents on public projects.
City lawyers argued that the state law illegally preempts Cleveland's home-rule authority under the state constitution and does not have a statewide impact.
