No date has been set for the meeting.
Union President Rebecca Palmer also released a statement, saying “we believe that we can support all efforts to reduce the projected deficit of 2016 by putting all efforts into the employees, services and programs to reduce the number of children in care.”
Earlier this month, county commissioners said Children Services is forecasting a $2.6 million budget shortfall and might not be able to make payroll by the end of 2015.
Palmer told the Journal-News that “if we have enough staff and utilize our resources, each child that can go home is saving the agency up to $90 a day; so what we figured out is if 50 workers can save five children and get them reunified with their families or prevent them from going into care and to get services at home, we believe we can save $2.1 million as well as invest in the family over $1 million.”
She said the union and the county remain “only $250,000 apart from what the county has proposed and what the union has proposed.”
Palmer said she’s “concerned” that the county has contracted work with Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio to provide services to children in foster care. She said the county is paying the Council on Aging $115 per visit.
“That’s not even what some of these case workers make; they make $15 an hour. On average, they make less than $20 an hour, but they’re going to pay $115 per visit for Council on Aging who already have their own job to do. We’re very concerned about that,” said Palmer.
Palmer said she’s “surprised” the strike has lasted for 15 days and adds that it’s “rough being out here, not being at work, but we’re standing strong.”
Sachi Slater, a striking case worker, was one of dozens picketing Tuesday at the Government Services Center. She’s a single mother who’s struggling financially.
“It’s tough but my family has been really supportive. I actually moved back in with my parents so that I can do this,” said Slater. “It’s been exhausting, an emotional roller coaster. I’m going crazy not working.”
Slater has been a case worker for less than a year.
“I did not think this would happen, but wanted to be supportive to all my social worker friends. I love my job, this is what I always wanted to do,” she said.
Tina Widner, of Hamilton, also wants the striking workers to return to their jobs. She’s currently taking care of her five grandchildren because she says Children Services workers removed them from their mother’s house last June.
“They came over to investigate a report for failure to thrive…but all the children were thriving,” said Widner. “Everything is slow moving. I’m going to guess it’s because of the strike. We don’t see people, we don’t talk to people, just met a case worker last week but we just don’t have any contact. We don’t know what’s going on.”
Widner said her grandchildren, three boys and two girls, ages 10 years to 10 months old, were taken from their mother’s home in June, but Widner met with her first case worker on Aug. 27.
“It pisses me off. I have five grandkids and their mother’s allowed to be with them during the day but has to leave at night for whatever reason. And it’s hard on the kids, hard on my daughter, hard on me,” said Widner.
She was at the Children Services office on Tuesday morning for a family meeting with a case worker. She hired an attorney to help her daughter regain full custody of her five kids. Widner acknowledges that Children Services workers have a “tough job.”
“Do I think they get paid enough? Absolutely. Do I think my grandchildren, my daughter or anybody else’s children should suffer for that? No I don’t. Absolutely not,” said Widner.
She urges both sides to return to the negotiating table and get a deal done.
“For not only my grandkids, but there’s other families that truly need to have the intervention that aren’t getting it,” said Widner.
Staff Writer Denise Callahan contributed to this report.
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