LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Workers from Lorain County Job and Family Services have now been on strike for six months. The milestone in the ongoing contract dispute comes as both parties say they’re holding their ground.
Union leaders said it’s now the longest public-sector labor strike in state history.
"That literally just gave me chills when you said that because I can’t believe that we’re still out here,” Ashton Werling, a JFS program specialist, told News 5 while discussing the six-month mark.
She said the milestone arrived one day after her 11-year anniversary of working with the agency. She’s among about 100 workers who have been picketing in front of the JFS building and outside of the Lorain County administrative building since mid-February.
The striking employees have picketed in weather ranging from snow and rain to wildfire smoke and triple-digit heat indexes. Unlike the changing conditions, they said their demands have not changed.
"The workers here just can’t sustain with the wages that they’re making. They’re on the services that we administer; they can’t feed their families, they can’t afford the health insurance. There’s no reason, while working for a county agency, that you should be suffering and living in poverty,” said Gina Jones, the bargaining unit chairperson for UAW Local 2192.
The union went on strike on Feb. 18, after rejecting a “best and final” contract offer from the county.
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The county has been facing a budget crisis and said it simply could not afford to pay more than it was offering.
"We don’t have the type of funds that some other counties have to utilize to pay their staff like that,” explained JFS Director Chris Cabot in February.
News 5 compared the lowest starting wages at Lorain County with the current contracts for other JFS agencies.
The “best and final” contract proposal listed the lowest entry-level pay as $14.01 per hour. It was below all of the counties bordering Lorain County. According to its latest contract on the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) website, Erie County topped the list of local counties’ pay at $18.01 for entry-level clerks and cashiers.
The union said low wages had been contributing to high turnover at the agency. As the strike drags on, Jones said some employees have departed for work in neighboring counties.
"We’ve had quite a few workers find new employment. They’re making more money, they have better health insurance premiums, it’s better for their families, they can work remote,” she said.
Over the past half-year, News 5 has also talked to JFS clients and others feeling the impact of the ongoing strike.
Some have reported long wait times or even a temporary lapse in benefits.
RELATED: JFS clients say they feel impact as Lorain County JFS strike reaches 100 days
Some workers expect the backlog to compound as fewer staff are available to process client cases.
"We were already behind [on cases] when we came out, about six months or so. So now I can only imagine, 6 months later, it’s years,” said Werling.
Neither the JFS director nor the County Commissioners were available for on-camera interviews on Tuesday.
Over the phone, County Commissioner Dave Moore doubled down on previous statements that negotiations were over between the county and the workers’ union. He said he believed the continued strike was politically motivated.
JFS Director Chris Cabot said about 100 employees have been working overtime to process cases during the strike. Additionally, he said 6 other counties have been helping while the agency is understaffed.
"I could not be prouder of the commitment and concern for the community that these employees have illustrated over the past six months,” Cabot said via email Tuesday. “As always, I remain hopeful that we will be operating with a full workforce in the near future.”
Union leaders said four or five workers have crossed the picket line since the strike began. They said the remainder of the group is not wavering from their position.
"The public has our back, and the UAW has our back. So as long as we’re strong, we’re going to stay out here,” said Jones.
Both parties have filed unfair labor practice charges with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB). The general counsel for SERB said the charges are under investigation.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
