By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FAIRFIELD - The biggest rat in town is about to get his day in court.

The rat is a 12-foot-high balloon that has been the centerpiece of labor protests this year outside the Fairfield Ford auto dealership on Ohio 4.

City officials say the giant inflatable rodent has to go because it violates zoning rules. The union says the rat is a recognized symbol of labor protest and is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

The union sued the city in U.S. District Court on Wednesday and could get a hearing before Judge Sandra Beckwith this week. "We may have to bring the rat into court," said David Cook, lawyer for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

The rat first appeared in February, when union members gathered on a city median outside the dealership to voice concerns about a labor dispute with the auto dealership. A second protest in July ended when police declared the rat a zoning violation.

City officials say they have nothing against the rat, but the law is the law.

The union contends zoning rules restrict "permanent structures" but make no mention of such temporary displays.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com