UAW Members Drive Ambitious Political Operation to Oust Commissioner Responsible for 8-Month Strike

LORAIN COUNTY, OH – After months of organizing that began in the summer, the UAW is on track to knock the doors of tens of thousands of union members in Lorain County to turn out the vote against County Commissioner Jeff Riddell.

Since February 18, UAW Local 2192 members from Lorain County Job and Family Services have been out on strike due to Commissioners like Riddell refusing to bargain in good faith and denying the $1 per hour raises the workforce needs to afford to survive today’s affordability crisis. 

Already the longest public-sector strike in Ohio’s history, the Lorain Country Job and Family Services strike is weeks from becoming the longest public-sector strike in U.S. history. In May’s primary, Riddell defeated his Republican opponent by only 18 votes – after initially making it into the seat in 2022 by just over 100 votes.

“We have dozens of UAW canvassers in the field across Lorain County knocking doors to elect Amy Acton, Sherrod Brown, and Carolyn White for Lorain County Commissioner,” said Gina Jones, UAW Local 2192 bargaining committee co-chair and case worker on strike at Lorain County Job and Family Services. “Voters in Lorain County are sick of elected officials like Jeff Riddell who are bad at their jobs. We’re facing too much of an affordability crisis that all of us are hurt by. Our strike is the clearest example of how important it is to elect people who represent the interests of the working class. We need to elect candidates of all levels of government that aren’t driven by big money interests.”

UAW canvassers knocking doors in Lorain County come from various workplaces represented by the UAW in the area. UAW Local 2192 members on strike during the week have been volunteering on Saturdays to join the large-scale canvass walks to reach out to UAW voters and their families about why Commissioner Jeff Riddell needs to be ousted on November 3.

For interview requests with UAW canvassers who are now the best experts on what voters in Lorain County, Ohio are feeling – the only “purple” county in Ohio to vote for Sherrod Brown and Donald Trump in the 2024 election – please contact Diana Hussein, dhussein@uaw.net or 313-445-3458.

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