Job & Family Services employees press commissioners to return to bargaining as strike enters seventh week

Job & Family Services employees and union members delivered repeated pleas Tuesday for the Lorain County Board of Commissioners to return to the bargaining table, saying stalled talks have left front-line workers struggling financially and the agency understaffed.

“My name is Michelle Ramos,” said a 28-year county employee and UAW member, who said she and co-workers have asked the commissioners to resume negotiations and have not seen movement from the county side. “Your last best and final offer is the exact same offer as your original offer.”

Speakers described the strike entering its seventh week and said many employees cannot afford basic living costs on the county wage scale. “We are determined to ensure that our members do not need to work two to three jobs to pay their bills,” said Shauna Hatfield LaGrange, who urged the board to negotiate a contract that lets workers afford housing and health care.

Leon Palmer Robinson III, speaking as a community advocate, connected the labor dispute to broader county development goals and said the county cannot build a “smart region” without stable human infrastructure. “When we fail to provide these workers with a livable wage and affordable health insurance, we are effectively creating a fault line,” he said.

Union members criticized a county proposal they described as unchanged from earlier offers and disputed county comments that services continued normally. “Not one of us has went back in the building,” a union representative said, adding that supervisors have asked for meetings and that at least three employees have left since the strike began.

Speakers urged a return to bargaining rather than unilateral implementation of contract terms. Several described financial hardship caused by the strike; Otis Lovejoy noted median household salary figures and housing costs in the Elyria area to underscore how far county wages fall short.

The board did not take action at the April 10 meeting to reopen talks. Commissioners were urged repeatedly by speakers to send representatives back to the table and to negotiate a contract the employees described as fair. The public testimony concluded with residents asking the board to facilitate a resolution and to protect service continuity for county residents.

What’s next: Speakers and union representatives said they will continue the strike until the board and its negotiators meaningfully resume talks. The transcript does not record any new offer or a board decision to reopen formal negotiations at the April 10 meeting.