A few dozen Stark County steelworkers are picketing after they say they were locked out of the plant. The publication, American Metal Market, reports 62 PSC Metals workers at its Canton auto shredding facility and a dozen workers at its Cleveland plant were locked out over the weekend. The union has been without a contract since November and The United Steelworkers Union has filed an unfair labor practice charge, alleging the company has bargained in bad faith. Workers are reportedly opposed to the company’s termination of employee medical benefits. The business is still open during the dispute.

Ravenna voters turn down levy
Voters in Ravenna said no to a new school levy yesterday. It was the sole issue on the ballot in the region. The 4.9 mill levy would have generated a half-million dollars a year for technology upgrades, elementary school repairs, and safety upgrades. The school board says it plans to put the issue on the ballot again in May. It was also voted down in November.

JP Morgan Chase settles lawsuit
JP Morgan Chase will pay nearly $1.5 million to 16 Columbus employees following a sexual discrimination lawsuit. The Plain Dealer reports that a group of female mortgage bankers sued—saying they were harassed and kept from making higher paying sales calls. The claims go back more than four years. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that Chase allowed a “sexually hostile work environment.” Chase has also agreed to overhaul its procedures as part of the settlement. It must ensure all sales call assignments are distributed equally, and provide training to help eliminate discriminatory practices. 

Higher education committee issues report
A house higher-education study committee has released its report on problems with Ohio’s colleges and universities. The report includes numerous fixes for the higher-education system, along with recommendations for high schools to help better prepare students for post-secondary education. Among those proposals are establishing state-level goals for the percentage of adults with degrees, cutting the college remediation rate, increasing access to dual enrollment options for high school students who want to take college classes, and expanding the use of tax-deferred college savings plans. Ohio has one of the largest systems of public higher education in the country, with more than half a million students enrolled.

Columbus Schools treasurer resigns
The treasurer of the Columbus City School district has resigned. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Penny Rucker offered little explanation for the resignation, other than that she needed more flexibility. Rucker was at the center of a controversy involving the district’s levy campaign last fall. Just three weeks before the levy went up for a vote, she changed her financial forecast for the district from a nearly $20 million shortfall to a $51 million surplus. The change gave levy opponents ammunition, saying it showed the district didn’t need the 24 percent property tax increase. The school board president said Rucker was not forced out. She had been with the district five years, and had a contract through 2017.