Following five months of negotiations on a contract that expired on December 31, the members of the Association of Cuyahoga County Employees for Special Students (ACCESS) met on February 16 to review the current status of contract negotiations. At the meeting, the members of ACCESS overwhelmingly voted to authorize its negotiations team to issue a 10-day strike notice to the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Throughout the negotiations process, ACCESS members have continued to advocate for policies that a.) retain and build staff to fully support individuals with developmental disabilities from infancy through senior years, b.) promote a work environment that allows our skilled professionals to spend the necessary time with individuals and families and help them thrive, and c.) allow members the ability to use their expertise and experience to best serve the residents of Cuyahoga County. The county board’s human resources department and its general counsel have responded to ACCESS’s forward-looking vision with either silence or proposals that would actually erode ACCESS members’ ability to serve their individuals and families. ACCESS spokesperson Anne Marie Trepanier, who has worked as a physical therapist for CCBDD for 23 years, said, “ACCESS has worked hard to maintain a positive professional approach in negotiations. Unfortunately, management has not yet demonstrated a sincere desire to reach a fair outcome. ACCESS has proposed innovative contract language that would strengthen our members’ ability to provide services to individuals throughout the county.

The result of today’s vote is that ACCESS can now file the Notice of Intent to Strike and Picket with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the State Employment Relations Board at any time. Trepanier says, “We do not want to strike. We do, however, feel that it is long past time that the CCBDD listen to our voices and settle a fair contract so that we can help individuals and families in this county to live their best lives. We’re willing to work with this board to hammer out solutions and procedures that are fair and effective for the individuals and families in this county, but it takes both parties to make that happen.”

The Association of Cuyahoga County Employees for Special Students (ACCESS) has selected Anne Marie Trepanier to serve as its media spokesperson during its ongoing bargaining crisis with the CuyahogaCounty Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD). Anne Marie has worked as a physical Therapist with CCBDD for 23 years. She has been the guardian for a family member served by CCBDD and her parents were active in the development of the initial Parent Groups within CCBDD.

Trepanier said, “I am very proud to do what I do every day. I live and work in this county. I am
wholeheartedly invested in our mission to support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers to live their best lives. I believe our professional voices need to be heard in order to ensure that innovative and quality services for people with developmental disabilities reach individuals with developmental disabilities from infancy to senior years.”

ACCESS has been negotiating with the county board since September 2022, and its contract expired on December 31. ACCESS members have continued to advocate for policies that a.) retain and build staff to fully support the individuals in the county, b.) promote a work environment that allows the professionals to spend the necessary time with individuals and families and help them thrive, and c.) allow members the ability to use their expertise and experience to best serve the residents of Cuyahoga County. The county board’s human resources department and its general counsel have responded to ACCESS’s forward looking vision with either silence or proposals that would actually erode ACCESS members’ ability to serve their individuals and families. Trepanier said, “The ACCESS bargaining team has presented many innovative proposals and efforts to secure a fair contract that would provide a framework to deliver quality services for individuals and families. We are hopeful for and committed to bargaining a fair contract that will allow us to make a positive difference for individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers, and to be a valuable resource in our community.”

ACCESS, is a professional organization representing  employees at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD).  ACCESS is a local affiliate of the NEOEA, the OASNP, the OEA, and the NEA.  Our members provide educational services and supports to young children, students, and adult consumers served by the CCBDD in Cuyahoga County in northeastern Ohio.