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Akron Caseworkers End Five Months on Picket Line
A five-month-long work stoppage at Summit County Children's Services in Akron, Ohio, has come to an end with a late-night agreement Dec. 16 to resolve the dispute between CWA Local 4546 and the county through mediation and arbitration.
The 270 social workers and support staff have been on the picket line since July 14. Under a back-to-work agreement, they are scheduled to return to their jobs Dec. 29. The mediation and arbitration process will be handled by the State Employment Relations Board, the local said.
The agreement was hammered out over 13 hours Tuesday, with the assistance of City Council member Clair Dickinson. Local 4546 President Robin Schenault said his help was invaluable in reaching the agreement.
The key issue in the work stoppage was the union's determination to gain a cap on the number of cases that social workers are assigned in order to better protect the county's at-risk children.
The union's "Child Protection Clause" will be submitted to the arbitrator. In addition to language concerning caseload limits, it also addresses staffing levels and calls for a prohibition on allowing college students to do caseworkers' jobs.
The union won strong community support on the picket line, with other unions and activists, radio talk shows, elected leaders and newspaper editorials expressing concern about the agency and its high volume of cases per worker.
"We were most successful at heightening the public's awareness of the problems with service levels," Schenault said.
Another huge success was the local's unity. "I am so proud of our members," she said. "Not one person, from the day we were locked out to five months later, crossed" the picket line. "They stuck together so solidly, and that's what unions are all about."
The 270 social workers and support staff have been on the picket line since July 14. Under a back-to-work agreement, they are scheduled to return to their jobs Dec. 29. The mediation and arbitration process will be handled by the State Employment Relations Board, the local said.
The agreement was hammered out over 13 hours Tuesday, with the assistance of City Council member Clair Dickinson. Local 4546 President Robin Schenault said his help was invaluable in reaching the agreement.
The key issue in the work stoppage was the union's determination to gain a cap on the number of cases that social workers are assigned in order to better protect the county's at-risk children.
The union's "Child Protection Clause" will be submitted to the arbitrator. In addition to language concerning caseload limits, it also addresses staffing levels and calls for a prohibition on allowing college students to do caseworkers' jobs.
The union won strong community support on the picket line, with other unions and activists, radio talk shows, elected leaders and newspaper editorials expressing concern about the agency and its high volume of cases per worker.
"We were most successful at heightening the public's awareness of the problems with service levels," Schenault said.
Another huge success was the local's unity. "I am so proud of our members," she said. "Not one person, from the day we were locked out to five months later, crossed" the picket line. "They stuck together so solidly, and that's what unions are all about."