Going back to school is something that Young potentially sees in his own future. “As the times and economy changes I have to change with them.

Cleveland Young has one of those jobs important and valuable jobs the public rarely hears about. Yet, without him performing his duties well — as he and 11 other public employees do on a regular basis at MetroHealth Hospital — patient care would suffer. While his official title is a Customer Support Partner/Transporter, around the hospital he and the 11 others are simply known as “transporters,” and their job is to make sure patients get to their appointments around the vast and sprawling hospital.

“Many of the tests, procedures and services a patient might need while they’re here with us are not performed in their rooms, and even those patients who are ambulatory would have a real problem finding their way around a hospital as big as this one. So that’s where me and my co-workers come in,” said Young, “we get them where they need to go — for instance to their appointment at the Eye Clinic or one of the other clinics — in a safe and timely manner. They depend on us.”

Like the other 1,800 MetroHealth employees represented by collective bargaining, he enjoys serving the public and is dismayed by the efforts of conservatives to “fix” a system that isn’t broken.  He, along with his co-workers, has come out strongly in support of voting “NO” on Issue 2 and is spreading the word to family and friends.

The Greater Cleveland native held a variety of odd jobs after graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1988, and worked for a spell in the laundry department of another area hospital before moving on to work at a day care center, the job he held immediately before coming to work at MetroHealth Hospital.  However, Young says that none of those jobs afforded him the security and stability his current position provides. “Due to the steady, full-time employment with decent benefits I’ve been able to put my son in Catholic schools, buy a house, car and live a middleclass life.”

Young says that he’s always worked second shift so that someone is home to get his son, now age 17, off to school properly. “He’s a good student who wants to study sports medicine when he goes to college. Our family is big on education … my wife is a full-time student. She’s about to graduate next month with her bachelor’s degree, and she’s going to stay in school to get her master’s, and then go on to law school. She’s always worked or attended school during the day so my working second shift works out fine for our family.”

Going back to school is something that Young potentially sees in his own future. “As the times and economy changes I have to change with them. I’ve always been interested in interior design, and since my son soon will be going off to college it might be a good time for me to take four years and pursue a design degree.” Being a public employee has been a good work experience for the Young family, as it has been for hundreds of thousands of others in Ohio.