With two days to go before a February 18 strike deadline, UAW President Shawn Fain and Region 2B Director David Green joined UAW Local 2192 members at Lorain County Jobs and Family Services in making preparations to walk off the job on Wednesday morning if County Commissioners continue to refuse to agree to a fair contract.
“The workforce crisis at Lorain County Jobs and Family Services is a public service crisis,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Today, the UAW is standing up for strong public services that Lorain County residents depend on. An agency that can’t keep staff because they can’t afford to eat lunch or have their children on their healthcare plan – that’s an agency in crisis.”
Around 150 UAW Local 2192 members at Jobs and Family Services in Lorain County provide critical frontline public services – including child welfare support and public benefits administration – to some of the county’s most vulnerable residents. Despite the essential nature of this work, the workforce is facing severe economic and staffing instability. JFS management and the Lorain County Commissioners have refused to offer a fair contract after months of negotiations.
In the last five years, turnover has reached crisis levels at JFS. That’s while County Commissions have increased healthcare costs for workers by 50%, as average wages remain less than at Jobs and Family Services in other Counties across Ohio.
“UAW Local 2192 has been ready and remains ready to negotiate and settle this contract immediately,” said UAW Region 2B Director Dave Green. “But right now, the County is giving workers – and the public – zero options. Resolving this crisis matters to every family in Lorain County because when workers can’t afford to stay on staff to do the critical work at Jobs and Family Servies, public services simply can’t function.”
The current conditions have created a crisis for the JFS workforce with many facing harsh financial hardships. And while the workers struggle to make ends meet, the County adds dozens of administrative positions that earn six-figure salaries.
“We are prepared to reach a fair agreement that stabilizes our workforce at Lorain County Jobs and Family Services and protects critical public services,” said UAW Local 2192 Chairperson Gina Jones. “But right now, we have JFS workers putting their children on Medicaid, skipping meals, or relying on food banks because they can’t afford the County’s health plan – the same people who administer public assistance programs to others in need. That’s why UAW Local 2192 members are unified and ready to strike on February 18 unless the County changes its position.”
UAW Local 2192 members at JFS remain ready to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair agreement for the people of Lorain County. In the meantime – as no proposal on the table or any willingness from the County to reach a deal that addresses turnover, retention, and service collapse – workers will maintain a deadline of February 18 when they will launch strike lines outside the JFS building at 42485 North Ridge Road beginning 6:30 a.m. sharp.
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