By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hamilton County averted a strike by up to 1,000 Job and Family Services workers next week when 70 percent of union members voted Friday to accept the latest contract offer.

The hourly workers account for two-thirds of employees in the county's largest department, which handles child support, children's protection services and public assistance.

"I think everybody wins," County Administrator David Krings said late Friday. "The union wins, the public that we serve wins, and the county wins. Nobody wins a strike."

County commissioners agreed to "fair share" Thursday - a provision that requires new hourly workers to pay dues of about $375 a year. Currently, fewer than half belong to AFSCME Local 1768, although all are represented.

"Nobody's happy with a zero percent (pay) increase, but we didn't have the numbers to make an effective (stand)," union member William Lee said. Fair share, he said, will give the union more bargaining power during the next contract negotiations, in three years.

Pay has been the main issue for workers. Sixty percent of union members rejected the county's last offer on Oct. 17, which included minimum 2 percent annual raises.

The promise doesn't guarantee every employee a raise, however - both because some people are at the top of their grade and because raises are based solely on merit. Raises within a department may range from zero for some employees to 20 percent for others.

The union sought an increase in the base salaries of their pay scale, and it was little consolation to members Friday that the 2 percent raises will be in the new contract.

Still, they voted 145 to 62 to accept the deal.

Hourly employees at Job and Family Services have been working without a contract since May. They voted in early October to authorize a strike, which was to begin Monday.

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com