LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — After an agreement was not reached by Wednesday morning, workers for Lorain County's Job and Family Services are on strike.
Union members said their talks with county commissioners have stalled.
Dozens of employees spent their morning outside the Lorain County Job and Family Services (JFS) building.
“I do love helping the people, I do love my job. It’s just that cost of living has gone up, property taxes are going up,” Sia Markou said.
The welfare case worker has worked for JFS for more than 2 decades and said attrition and low wages are contributing to burnout.
“We will stand our ground until we can get a fair contract," she said.
Why are they on strike?
UAW Local 2192 said that over the past five years, JFS has experienced a turnover crisis, with 90 workers out of 140 positions having quit.
Workers said the attrition has led to larger workloads for employees and longer wait times for clients.
"The fact is, we're understaffed, overworked, and they're sitting on hold because we have such a limited amount of people doing the job, caring for the entire county," said Odis Lovejoy, a JFS expedited food assistance worker. "A lot of times you end up with individuals leaving our county to go to other counties because for the same job, they can go somewhere else and make more money."
Additionally, the union said the county has increased JFS workers' health insurance by 50%, while average salaries remain below those of other job and family services in Ohio.
"I’d like to see our employees not qualify for the benefits we give the public,” said Alexandria Wircham, a child support accountant for Lorain Co. JFS.
While the workers are on the picket line, union leaders said services family rely on may be disrupted.
"What is going to be affected is people aren't going to get their food stamps issued, they're not going to get their medicaid issued, elderly are in jeopardy because they're not being able to go out and inspect homes of people who are neglected and abused, daycares are not going to get inspected either," said Gina Jones, chairperson for Lorain County Job and Family Services.
On Friday, the Lorain County Board of Commissioners approved what it said was its "best and final" contract proposal.
It included an initial 4.5% general wage increase, followed by a 3.5% increase in September 2026 and a 4% raise in September 2027. The proposed contract said base wages would range from $14.01 to $29.02.
The county’s offer also included a compensation package over the next three years that exceeds the statewide average, the board said in a statement.
On Wednesday, it said that the proposal is now under review by the bargaining unit.
The UAW was requesting a 26% raise over a three-year period, in what it said was an effort to match other county employee wages across the state.
County Commissioners said the union is requesting money it doesn't have to spend.
Board president Commissioner Dave Moore told News 5 that health insurance has cost the county an additional $10 million over the past five years. He said the county has not increased costs for employees in three of the past five years.
The commissioners declined on-camera interviews Monday and Wednesday and deferred further comment to JFS Executive Director Chris Cabot.
“We have an obligation to be fiscally responsible,” Cabot said. “We don’t have the type of funds that some counties have to utilize to pay their staff like that.”
The negotiations also come as the county navigates financial challenges. After voters rejected a proposed sales tax increase, commissioners said they had to trim nearly $11 million from the annual budget.
In late January, Commissioner Marty Gallagher addressed criticism from the Lorain County Auditor after budget cuts forced the auditor's office to close on Fridays.
"Unfortunately, we had to make those tough decisions. We have to hunker down, we have to budget our money better," Gallagher said at the time.
Dave Moore told News 5 over the phone that the board was not planning to entertain more contract negotiations.
Cabot echoed the sentiment Wednesday.
“Not at this time. Our best and final offer has been made,” he said.
Included in the statement sent by the Board of Commissioners and JFS, the agency said it will continue its commitment to the public:
“We want to take a moment to ensure the public knows that our agency remains open during the current UAW strike. The leadership and staff at Lorain County Jobs and Family Services remain dedicated to the mission of the agency and are working hard to minimize any difficulties for our clients as a result of the strike. At the Lorain County Department of Job and Family Services, we value every one of our staff and the very important work that they perform every day. A compensation package, over the next three years, that is well beyond the statewide average has been offered to our union staff. We truly hope that this offer is accepted. As the Director of this agency, it is my job to ensure that we provide the best service possible to our children and families in need. That is exactly what we intend to do.”
Impact on clients
The strike involving union employees at the Lorain County Job and Family Services caught many of its clients off guard.
Several News 5 viewers reached out to the station, worried about possible service delays or even the loss of benefits.
One of those people was Jeremy Hudgens, who lives in Lorain County.
"I found out about the strike last night at about midnight,” Hudgens said.
And ever since, he’s felt uneasy. He’s disabled and works part-time while living with cerebral palsy. He has paperwork to turn in to the agency to continue his medical coverage and food assistance benefits.
“Here’s what it is right here,” Hudgens said as he pointed to paperwork in an envelope. “The Medicaid renewal form and SNAP's in there as well.”
He’s worried the strike will cause major delays in reviewing and accepting required documents.
“Who’s going to handle it? Who’s going to take it in? And, will it be there in a timely fashion,” Hudgens questioned.
He called the Lorain County Commissioners' Office to vent.
“What did you say to them?" News 5 Anchor Damon Maloney asked.
“There’s three sides to the story: His. Hers. And, the truth, I get it,” Hudgens said. “And I said what people don’t realize is that both of those sides don’t realize that they are hurting people who are disabled… people who are elderly. And they’re thinking about themselves and not the people they need to help.”
Maloney told Hudgens and read a portion of an email he sent to Lorain County Job and Family Services Wednesday morning to try and get answers to viewers’ concerns.
Maloney also read a portion of the email the agency’s director, Christopher Cabot, sent him in response.
“So, they said we remain fully open for all services, including walk-in hours,” Maloney read to Hudgens.
He said he was going to head to the office to drop off his paperwork.
Maloney paid a visit too. He saw people picketing and people inside getting information and filling out forms.
Lorain County Job and Family Services oversees child care assistance, child support, food benefits, medical benefits, and other social services.
“Logistically, what does the strike mean for clients of JFS?” Maloney asked Cabot.
“We're operating at about half of our staffing level that we typically would be,” Cabot said.
“Is it fair to say because of the strike, we're going to see delays in processing of some paperwork, implementation of some services?” Maloney asked.
“What we've decided to do is really prioritize those in the most need first, obviously,” Cabot said. “You might be on the phones a little bit longer, or it might take a little bit longer to process than the same amount of applications with fewer people, but nobody's gonna be denied any services or not get something that they're eligible for."
Cabot said some employees are working overtime and supervisors, including himself, are stepping in to help cover the workload.
Cabot said phone lines and the lobby will remain open. He stressed that the office is not closed.
“Because we're never gonna turn our backs on our clients,” Cabot said.
He said it typically takes between 30 and 60 days to fully process
Paperwork, and given the strike, that timeline could be longer, but he assured Maloney they’re prioritizing those emergency cases.
Cabot said the state has offered to help, and they’re also looking at bringing in support from other counties’ job and family services offices.
Hudgens wants the parties back at the bargaining table, and he hopes they see the big picture.
“What can we do to make sure that the residents of Lorain County who need these services aren’t the ones hurting?” he said.
