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Locked Out Ohio Members Fight for Child Safety
Unwilling to lower the caseloads for overburdened workers dealing with life-and-death issues, Summit County Children Services in Akron, Ohio, ignited a dispute with members of CWA Local 4546.
The union of caseworkers, intake workers and support staff has been on the picket line since Monday morning, generating enormous press coverage and strong support from the public and fellow unions. The company initially told local negotiators across the bargaining table that it was locking the workers out, but then changed its story the next day and claimed it never intended to lock them out and that the workers were on strike.
Besides confusion over that issue, what's clear is that negotiations broke down over the county's refusal to cap employees' caseloads, as well as management's demand to bargain only a one-year contract.
To show support, about 30 CWA-represented caseworkers from Local 1037 in Newark, New Jersey even took a vacation day Tuesday to ride a bus to Akron and join a rally. "They spent all night on a bus to get here, and we're extremely grateful," Local 4546 President Robin Schenault said. "That went a long way with the community, knowing that we had that kind of support."
Schenault, the local's president for 20 years, said the union was willing to continue to negotiate and keep working, but the county locked the doors. Publicly, the county is denying it and saying the union is on strike. No further bargaining talks have been scheduled.
Schenault said the county's wage offer of a 4 percent raise for caseworkers and 3 percent for support staff is fine with the union, except for the county's insistence on a one-year contract. The union is trying to hold the line against givebacks in health care, but even that isn't the local's driving issue.
Their primary concern is for at-risk children and families whose caseworkers are so overburdened that they can't give them an adequate level of service. Over the past three years, 11 children in the system have died and others have been victims of abuse. Schenault said caseworkers are heartbroken, angry and feel helpless against a county that refuses to even acknowledge the high number of cases employees are assigned.
"The county's claim that our members handle only 20 cases on average a month is a shameless lie," CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said. "We are gratified that the public understands this, and that the community has thrown its full support behind our members. It makes the county's refusal to change its tune all the more mystifying and appalling."
One horrifying recent case in Akron area made the national news, involving five severely malnourished boys, allegedly beaten and locked in a closet. "We know deep down that we should have spent more time with that family," caseworker Joe St. Jean told the Akron Beacon Journal. "But you can't do it."
The week before the lockout, the county suspended Schenault for three days without pay for speaking out about the county's failure to protect children. The local has filed a grievance and is preparing an unfair labor practice complaint.
"President Schenault's suspension was reprehensible and we cannot condemn the county strongly enough for its shameful and illegal response to her forthright comments," said Brooks Sunkett, CWA vice president for the Public, Health care and Education Workers Sector.
Public outrage over the case of the five boys has fueled support for the union. Schenault said radio talk shows are opening the airwaves to picketers, religious leaders are speaking out, passersby are honking their horns at deafening rates and Teamsters, Steelworkers and Autoworkers are among union members who have rallied and picketed with the local.
The caseload burden resonated on a personal level with child protection workers represented by Local 1037 in New Jersey. Members there have tried for years to get reduced caseloads through legislation, and were more than willing to take a vacation day to support the fight in Ohio, Local 1037 President Hetty Rosenstein said.
"Nothing will change without caseload caps," Rosenstein said. "It's great thing that they're doing, for the children, for the families and for the community, in making this a contract issue, and we wanted to show our support for them."
The union of caseworkers, intake workers and support staff has been on the picket line since Monday morning, generating enormous press coverage and strong support from the public and fellow unions. The company initially told local negotiators across the bargaining table that it was locking the workers out, but then changed its story the next day and claimed it never intended to lock them out and that the workers were on strike.
Besides confusion over that issue, what's clear is that negotiations broke down over the county's refusal to cap employees' caseloads, as well as management's demand to bargain only a one-year contract.
To show support, about 30 CWA-represented caseworkers from Local 1037 in Newark, New Jersey even took a vacation day Tuesday to ride a bus to Akron and join a rally. "They spent all night on a bus to get here, and we're extremely grateful," Local 4546 President Robin Schenault said. "That went a long way with the community, knowing that we had that kind of support."
Schenault, the local's president for 20 years, said the union was willing to continue to negotiate and keep working, but the county locked the doors. Publicly, the county is denying it and saying the union is on strike. No further bargaining talks have been scheduled.
Schenault said the county's wage offer of a 4 percent raise for caseworkers and 3 percent for support staff is fine with the union, except for the county's insistence on a one-year contract. The union is trying to hold the line against givebacks in health care, but even that isn't the local's driving issue.
Their primary concern is for at-risk children and families whose caseworkers are so overburdened that they can't give them an adequate level of service. Over the past three years, 11 children in the system have died and others have been victims of abuse. Schenault said caseworkers are heartbroken, angry and feel helpless against a county that refuses to even acknowledge the high number of cases employees are assigned.
"The county's claim that our members handle only 20 cases on average a month is a shameless lie," CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said. "We are gratified that the public understands this, and that the community has thrown its full support behind our members. It makes the county's refusal to change its tune all the more mystifying and appalling."
One horrifying recent case in Akron area made the national news, involving five severely malnourished boys, allegedly beaten and locked in a closet. "We know deep down that we should have spent more time with that family," caseworker Joe St. Jean told the Akron Beacon Journal. "But you can't do it."
The week before the lockout, the county suspended Schenault for three days without pay for speaking out about the county's failure to protect children. The local has filed a grievance and is preparing an unfair labor practice complaint.
"President Schenault's suspension was reprehensible and we cannot condemn the county strongly enough for its shameful and illegal response to her forthright comments," said Brooks Sunkett, CWA vice president for the Public, Health care and Education Workers Sector.
Public outrage over the case of the five boys has fueled support for the union. Schenault said radio talk shows are opening the airwaves to picketers, religious leaders are speaking out, passersby are honking their horns at deafening rates and Teamsters, Steelworkers and Autoworkers are among union members who have rallied and picketed with the local.
The caseload burden resonated on a personal level with child protection workers represented by Local 1037 in New Jersey. Members there have tried for years to get reduced caseloads through legislation, and were more than willing to take a vacation day to support the fight in Ohio, Local 1037 President Hetty Rosenstein said.
"Nothing will change without caseload caps," Rosenstein said. "It's great thing that they're doing, for the children, for the families and for the community, in making this a contract issue, and we wanted to show our support for them."