One month into their walkout, Lorain County Job and Family Services workers are still pacing the picket line and warning that the public is paying the price. Roughly 140 members of UAW Local 2192 - caseworkers, investigators and intake staff who handle SNAP, Medicaid, Ohio Works First and child-care assistance - have been on strike since mid-February. Union leaders and county commissioners are slated to sit down for state-mandated mediation on Wednesday, March 25, with both sides still dug in over pay and staffing.
Union Calls It A 'Public Service Crisis'
Union officials say this all started when county commissioners rejected a neutral fact-finder’s recommendations and refused to return to the bargaining table. In a March 18 post, UAW said roughly 140 JFS employees have been on the picket line since Feb. 18 and that the stoppage has disrupted programs including SNAP and Medicaid. The union also said it has filed unfair-labor-practice charges and is pressing commissioners to come back to negotiations.
County Says Office Is Open, Alternatives In Place
County leaders counter that services are still available, if slower than usual. Lorain County JFS says administrators and remaining staff are working to keep the doors open during the strike and that the main office continues to operate. The department’s website lists current lobby hours and tells clients they can submit paperwork by drop box, mail, fax or through the state’s Self-Service Portal, according to the Lorain County Department of Job & Family Services. The agency’s contact numbers and online links are posted there to help residents work around delays.
Striking Workers Say Phones Are Quiet And Cases Are Stuck
On the sidewalk, workers paint a very different picture of what is happening inside. Striking employees and some non-striking staff told reporters that phone lines are largely shut down, Medicaid applications are going unprocessed and cases have been closed. One union member, Shawna Hatfield, said “getting someone on the phone at all is nearly impossible unless they have all day to wait,” as reported by Cleveland.com. Union representatives also told the outlet that administrators were being hired at high temporary rates to cover shifts, a claim county officials dispute.
Fight Over Money Centers On Raises And Retro Pay
At the heart of the standoff is how much more workers should be paid and when. The union is seeking retroactive pay and roughly a 1 dollar per hour base increase to help stabilize staffing levels. County officials argue the union’s proposal would be too expensive and have labeled their latest offer “final and best,” according to reporting. Spectrum News notes the agency’s starting pay is about 15 dollars an hour and caseworkers earn close to 18 dollars, and it highlights commissioners’ concerns about rising health-care costs. The union counters that much of JFS’s budget is made up of state and federal pass-through dollars and argues the proposed 1 dollar adjustment would have limited impact on the county’s general fund, per UAW.
What Residents Can Do In The Meantime
While the two sides prepare for mediation, residents who need help are being urged to work around the slowdown as best they can. People can use the JFS Self-Service Portal, drop paperwork in the department’s outside boxes, or mail or fax documents, and are encouraged to call the general help line for case updates. The department’s contact details and alternate submission instructions are posted on its website for anyone dealing with processing delays, according to the Lorain County Department of Job & Family Services. Both the county and the union say they hope next week’s mediation will finally produce a deal that gets workers back inside and services back to normal.
