COLUMBUS, Ohio – AFSCME members at Columbus Public Health are standing together to protect their community after billionaire-backed budget cuts in Washington wiped out critical funding and eliminated front-line public service jobs.
At the start of 2025, when the COVID-19 Enhanced Operations Grant was slashed by politicians doing the bidding of billionaires, 11 union positions at Columbus Public Health disappeared overnight. Those workers were not just responding to COVID-19 but leading efforts to stop the spread of other infectious diseases like measles, HIV, and syphilis.
“These cuts were devastating,” said John Henry, Jr., president of AFSCME Local 2191, which represents more than 200 public health professionals, and is a part of Ohio Council 8. “Those workers were doing essential work that kept this community safe. When the federal government pulled the plug on that funding, it pulled the rug out from under them, too.”
Because the positions were federally grant funded, the workers had no recall or bumping rights when the grant ended. But through their union, AFSCME members fought to make sure no one was left behind. Local 2191 negotiated with city leaders to extend employment through the end of the month so affected workers could keep their health insurance and maintain some stability for their families.
“Through our union, we had the power to come together and protect each other,” Henry said. “That is what solidarity means. We could not stop Congress from cutting the grant, but we made sure our members were treated with dignity.”
The consequences of these federal budget cuts reach far beyond the workers themselves. When billionaires and their yes-men in Congress strip away public health funding to pay for tax breaks, it leaves entire communities less safe. Working people lose the freedom to provide services that keep families healthy.
“Public health is not profitable. It is a public good,” Henry said. “Every time they cut funding, it weakens the system that protects our neighborhoods and makes it harder for public health professionals to do our jobs.”
Now, after those devastating federal cuts, Columbus Public Health faces another blow. City leaders are considering outsourcing local lab services to a private company in Texas. That would eliminate more union jobs and threaten access to fast, reliable testing for the people of Columbus.
AFSCME members are organizing to hold elected officials accountable from City Hall to the White House. They are demanding that politicians stop catering to billionaires and start investing in the people who keep our communities running.
“AFSCME members have always been there for our city,” Henry said. “We were called heroes during the pandemic, and we have never stopped showing up. Now we are standing up for our freedom to do our jobs, protect our neighbors, and keep Columbus healthy and strong.”
Join them in their fight by getting organized.