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JFS employees urge commissioners to return to bargaining, cite service gaps and staffing losses
Summary
Multiple JFS employees and union members used public comment at the March 27 meeting to press commissioners to resume contract talks. Speakers cited a week‑6 work stoppage, staff departures, delayed SNAP and Medicaid processing, and complex long‑term care caseloads that have left vulnerable clients at risk.
Dozens of current and former Job & Family Services staff addressed the Board of Commissioners during public comment on March 27, urging the board to return to collective‑bargaining talks and describing operational disruptions they said have resulted from a work stoppage.
Jahaira Jimenez, who said she represented employees of Lorain County Children Services, presented a signed petition demanding "fair retroactive pay" and called for the county to recognize the workload and complexity of child‑protection work. "Our work is demanding, emotionally taxing and essential to the safety and well‑being of those we serve," she said.
Several Job & Family Services staff described service delays and staffing losses. Jean Smith, a long‑term care Medicaid eligibility specialist, told commissioners her unit handles caseloads that can reach roughly 600 cases per worker and outlined the technical complexity of assessing resources, evaluating possible improper transfers, and establishing qualified income trusts required to preserve eligibility. "Time is of the essence with processing long term care Medicaid applications," she said, explaining that delays can force clients to deplete assets or lose eligibility.
Other speakers, including Diane Green and Brittiany Eber, cited staff attrition and operational backlog. Eber said the agency had lost three employees since Feb. 18 and that roughly 90 people have left JFS over five years. Several speakers recounted clients experiencing interrupted SNAP or Medicaid services and long phone‑hold times; Tammy McGinnis said new‑hire pay offers that exceed incumbent wages are demoralizing to current staff and urged the board to negotiate in good faith. Multiple commenters asked the commissioners to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract that staff say would restore services and morale.
