AVON LAKE, Ohio — As the UAW strike officially began on Friday, plants in Northeast Ohio are still business as usual. However, local mayors recognize that that could change, should the strike continue.
In Brook Park, about 2,000 people work at the Ford plant, while about 1,800 people work at the Ford plant in Avon Lake, according to their respective mayors. Those workers contribute to the local economy through contributing to income taxes, as well as supporting local businesses.
“Right now, there are over 1,800 workers working in the Avon Lake portion of that plant, and they generate almost $2 million dollars in income tax for our support of the city, paying of the infrastructure, paying for the services,” said Mayor Greg Zilka.
Zilka said there’s also an economic impact when it comes to local businesses.
“As you would expect, there are the restaurants and carry outs, take outs,” Zilka said. “Drug stores, various city services are all dependent on this workforce.”
Zilka said he’s cautiously optimistic that the strike will end soon.
“We think that there’ll be a settlement because they’ve always worked together, and we all benefit when people work together, rather than draw a line in the sand, and 'this won’t move beyond that point,'” he said.
Mayor Edward Orcutt of Brook Park is also aware of the economic impact the workers make on his community, and what could happen should a strike occur.
“Ford Motor Company has been building engines in Brook Park for decades,” Orcutt said. “We are very optimistic that they will be able to come to an agreement, we hope that happens as soon as possible. Obviously whenever there’s a strike, that is a negative impact financially for the community with income tax.”
Orcutt said the impacts of a possible local strike would have ripple effects to business owners and city operations, too.
“We completely understand that the union is seeking what they believe they need, and that a business needs to be able to operate efficiently,” he said. “With that said, we’re optimistic that they can come to an agreement as soon as possible.”
3News also reached out to the City of Parma on Friday to speak to the mayor regarding the GM plant in the city, but were told he was unavailable. Instead, we were directed to a statement the city sent out on Wednesday, before the strikes, which reads:
“Parma is a GM town. The city only purchases GM products, including vehicles for our police and fire departments. My personal vehicle is a GMC Acadia. Our Parma Metal Center is one of our largest employers, and through municipal income tax, supports city operating costs. I know GM values the work being done in this city because it has recently made a significant investment in the plant ($46.8 million).
“City officials and I have a great working relationship with both UAW 1005 and GM management. We remain hopeful that meaningful dialogue between the two parties will lead to a mutually beneficial agreement,” said Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter.
