ODJFS announces 77 position cuts;
Union’s focus turns to displaced members

May 2, 2008 - 10 a.m. - Yesterday ODJFS Assembly union leaders and OCSEA staff met with ODJFS management to review their budget plan, including the rationale for the abolishment of 77 positions currently occupied by OCSEA bargaining unit members. The ODJFS plan was submitted to DAS today.

This meeting was the first in which OCSEA leaders were made aware of the BU positions and areas of service that would be impacted by the budget cuts.

OCSEA / ODJFS assembly leaders met with union stewards today at OCSEA Headquarters to brief everyone on the layoff rationale and discuss next steps for helping displaced members. PHOTO ALBUM

It is the union’s understanding that there will be an abolishment of positions in nearly every area of service. This EXCLUDES Local Operations, Workforce Development, and Unemployment Compensations – the employment and training services arms of the organization – which will see no abolishments at this time. Management says this is in direct correlation to the Strickland administration’s commitment to job growth and training.

“Although the union was very active in the budget process – in that we worked jointly to find cost-saving measures aimed at saving jobs – management was very tight lipped about where the cuts would actually come down in the end,” said OCSEA/ODJFS Assembly President Tommy Jones.

The union is very concerned that the number of exempt employees impacted was not significantly higher, given the top-heaviness of the organization. The union has been vocal for several years about the management-to-bargaining unit imbalance, particularly in Local Operations.

The rundown:

• 77 positions currently held by OCSEA bargaining unit employees will be abolished.
• Local Operations, Workforce Development, and Unemployment Compensation WILL NOT be impacted by layoffs.
• ODJFS will offer a 1-year ERI beginning today through July 5, 2008.
• 103 exempt positions will be abolished.
• 106 new BU information technology positions are expected to be created, most as the result of the elimination of private service contracts.

View all the details in the ODJFS Executive Summary (PDF) with support documents.

Upon leaving the meeting, union leaders said the outcome was better than originally expected but, regardless, the 77 positions lost was a major hit. The union was originally informed in February that there could be as many as 500 layoffs.

“Whenever there is a job loss, we all hurt,” said OCSEA President Eddie L. Parks. “We were able to substantially reduce the total number of persons actually laid off, but our work is not done. Our mission now is to find jobs for every member we could not save.”

Union leaders plan to seek every option available, with the hope that very few members will actually hit the street. This includes seeking out vacancies in other agencies, looking at the ETA situation, and pushing for increased training so that members are able to meet minimum qualifications for other positions.

“We’ve done everything we could as a union. We fought a hard fight,” said Jones.

“Now we need to take care of those who will be displaced,” said Debra King, President of Columbus ODJFS Chap. 2599, whose chapter could feel the biggest brunt of these cuts.

When the union first heard that there could be layoffs in ODJFS, leaders approached management about forming a joint budget committee to look at ways of saving money, and ultimately saving jobs.
 
The Joint Budget Committee submitted their cost-saving recommendations to ODJFS Director Helen Jones-Kelly on April 7. The director took many of these to heart as she prepared the budget plan.

As the result of the labor and management committee’s work, the agency has opted to cancel approximately 87 unnecessary and expensive private service contracts. Just over 90 new BU information technology positions could be created to do this work, resulting in approximately $4 million in savings.

“We’re glad to have had the opportunity to be at the table and to make a real impact during this budget crisis. If it weren’t for the hard work of the Joint Budget Committee, who knows what we might been facing today,” Jones said.

“I commend all the hard work of the committee and I hope the lines of communication remain open as we go through this trying time and into the future.”

JFS Resources

ODJFS Executive Summary (PDF)

ODJFS / EBS - OAS@JFS.OHIO.GOV
All inquiries sent to this email address will receive a response within 48 hours.

COBRA Information - OEBS/BHR - Jennifer Barr
614-466-6317 or barrj01@odjfs.state.oh.us

See Related

Regional Worker Adjustment Committees gear up to help

Layoff Links & Resources

Layoffs classes set May 5 - 22 in several cities

Early Retirement Incentive Plans

ODJFS Union Toolbox

State Budget News