Tick, Tock: After Holding the Line Six Months on Strike, Lorain County Job and Family Services Workers to Announce Next Moves in Public Rally Outside Administration Building on Tuesday

ELYRIA, Ohio – On Tuesday, August 25, UAW Local 2192 members at Jobs and Family Services will hold a public rally at the Lorain County Administration Building in Elyria to announce their next steps in their campaign for a better life.

WHO: UAW Local 2192 members at Lorain County Job and Family Services, community and political allies, candidates for Ohio public office

WHAT: Public rally to announce next steps in JFS strike

WHERE: Lorain County Administration Building, 226 Middle Ave, Elyria, OH 44035

WHEN: Tuesday, August 25 at 1:30 p.m.

UAW Local 2192 members at Lorain County Job and Family Services have been on the longest public-sector strike in Ohio’s history, passing the six-month milestone last week. For months, JFS workers sat through negotiations with an expired contract as County Commissioners showed no interest in bargaining in good faith. Frustrations from the membership continued to grow, as some workers were having to skip meals or enroll their own children in programs they help administer to other families in need. 

As Lorain County saw the escalation of a triple-crises – a staffing crisis, a retention crisis, and a leadership crisis – the Commissioners chose to disregard the state's fact-finding process and fight their own workforce instead of solving the problem. With the commissioners refusing requests to meet and negotiate an agreement, workers were given no other options on February 18 when they walked out on strike. 

The Commissioners’ continued inaction has forced County residents to pay the price as critical service failures mount, despite the Union’s repeated calls for good-faith negotiations and compromise between the parties. Many residents are in limbo trying to fill needed prescriptions. Nursing home residents are not getting reimbursements processed. The county health system is under strain, and elder abuse investigations are falling behind.

UAW Local 2192’s fight has the full backing of the International UAW, from its organizing and bargaining strategies department to its political arm, all the way to the President's office. JFS workers hear their clients' pleas for a settlement, even if the Commissioners pretend not to. One way or another, the working people of Lorain County will have their voices heard. The Union and the community want a fair settlement. It is up to the County Commissioners to resolve this crisis before the next steps.

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