Steel company has to pay workers in lockout dispute.

Steel company has to pay workers in lockout dispute

A Dover, Ohio, steelworkers' local was subjected to a company lockout, and its members are entitled to unemployment compensation benefits, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled in a 4-3 decision.

The decision is significant because it broadens the definition of a company lockout and redefines the conditions under which workers are considered to be on strike, according to Diane C. Reichwein, an attorney with the Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur law firm who specializes in labor law. She was not involved in the case.

Members of Local 6968 of United Steelworkers of America had offered to extend their contract …