At 133 days, JFS strike may be longest public sector work stoppage ever in Ohio

The ongoing Lorain County Job and Family Services strike is now believed to be the longest strike by a public sector union in Ohio history. It has lasted 133 total days. Excluding weekends and holidays, that's 93 weekday work days as of Wednesday. Gina Jones, JFS chairperson for United Auto Workers Local 2192 representing nearly 100 striking JFS workers, said UAW officials shared the news with her. "It's not a record that we would like to break," Jones said, "but I would think it's a record the commissioners wouldn't want to break either." The Chronicle-Telegram couldn't immediately independently confirm the record, though JFS workers have surpassed the Ravenna teachers strike of 1980-81 — still the longest teachers strike in state history, lasting 85 instructional days. A message seeking comment was left for a UAW spokesperson. JFS workers manage Medicaid and SNAP benefits, investigate elder abuse, inspect day cares and administer social welfare programs in Lorain County. Many union members have said they qualify for the very programs they administer. A three-year contract expired in September. Negotiations and mediation hearings have failed to bring the parties to an agreement. Workers walked off the job Feb. 18 and began picketing JFS headquarters on North Ridge Road in Elyria Township and the Lorain County Administration Building in downtown Elyria soon after. They were still there Wednesday in the nearly 100-degree heat. No further negotiations are scheduled, Jones said. Commissioner David Moore said the county's final and best offer is on the table: "All they gotta do is come back and sign it." "They're the ones that left the table," he said. "They're they ones on strike. They're the ones that left the clients hanging. On the table is a contract." The county is in an ongoing budget crisis and officials have said it can't afford to pay what the workers are demanding. Workers said they are demanding only $1 more per hour, while county officials have accused them of asking for double-digit percentage wage increases. Both sides have made allegations, and denied accusations, of unfair labor practices. Jones said union members have "weathered all the storms," from freezing cold to boiling heat to rain, thunder and lightning. "It's hot, but they're still out there," she said, although they are taking more breaks in the shade with portable fans, cooling towels and popsicles dropped off by members of the public. Not only have striking workers had to weather the weather, but now threats: Three incidents outside JFS offices on North Ridge Road in the past week alone that have left them and JFS Director Chris Cabot concerned about safety at the building. Cabot said on June 23, a client became upset over the phone and allegedly threatened to run striking workers over with a truck after "they did not get the answer they wanted to hear in regards to their benefits being timely." Cabot said a Lorain County sheriff's deputy on duty at the JFS office took a report, then went with him out to the picket line to let strikers know. On June 24, a striking worker reported a man standing across North Ridge Road from the picket lines holding a neon sign reading "f--- child support." Cabot said the man didn't make any threats, but striking workers were told to call authorities if they felt threatened. Later that same day, Cabot said a "disgruntled person" drove through the parking lot at the JFS offices, where a witness claimed to hear the man threaten to blow up the building. Security officers and a deputy talked to the man, whom Cabot said had a mental health issue. The Chronicle has requested incident reports from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. Cabot said that threats won't be tolerated against any JFS staff, whether they're on strike or not. "I wish they'd come back to work," Cabot said. "I hope that happens soon. But we treat their health and safety as seriously as everyone else's. We want to make sure they feel safe and supported." Jones said she spoke with the Sheriff's Office about the incidents and asked for extra patrols to keep striking workers safe. "It's a safety concern," she said. "The problem is clients aren't getting their services and they're upset," Jones said JFS workers will continue to show up at commissioners' meetings as they did this past Tuesday. "We're not going anywhere until they give us what we want," she said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.