Our community recently learned disappointing news that DHL plans to reorganize their North American operations in a way that would dramatically affect their Wilmington hub. Early news reports stated that the parent company of DHL, Deutche Post World Net of Germany, plans to enter into an agreement with UPS that could cut as many as 8,000 jobs from Wilmington.

I was immediately concerned when I heard the news because of the devastating impact DHL’s decision would have on our community and on families all throughout Ohio. I am confident that we will work together as a team to present the best possible response to DHL’s plan.

Our community has already begun to come together in efforts to respond to DHL. Wilmington Mayor David Raizk has formed a task force which I am proud to serve on with community leaders like Clinton County Commissioner Randy Riley. As a member of this task force, and as your representative in Washington, D.C., I am committed to bringing available resources and assistance as we move through this process.

I have also spoken to the chief executive officers and other executives from both DHL and ABX to see if a solution can be found. I also told them that when a company is losing money, a person should be fired, not a whole town. They were also told that our community and the federal government were committed to doing whatever was necessary to find a solution to this issue.

The state of Ohio and the Clinton County community have taken extraordinary steps to help make DHL’s Wilmington enterprise successful, including extensive financial support for infrastructure improvements. Clinton County made significant investments in DHL, both in attracting them to the area and in community improvements such as the bypass, to make it easier for them to do business. Our community has worked hard throughout this process and our community will rally again.

Additionally, I spoke to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to advocate for federal assistance and to make clear the possible impact of DHL’s reorganization plan could have for our region. The secretary agreed to seek all avenues that federal assistance that might be available, including national emergency grants. Secretary Chao also agreed to appoint a liaison from the Department of Labor to serve as a point person on this issue.

In addition to keeping regular contact with state and local officials, I convened a meeting of the Ohio Congressional Delegation to bolster federal support for our community and for maintaining jobs in our state. Both Sen. George Voinovich and Sen. Sherrod Brown were in attendance, as were several of members of Congress. I stressed the importance of working as a unified team to find solutions and offer the best possible support.

We have consistently seen that our community is capable of achieving great things when we work together. While there can be no doubt that this is a critical moment for our region, I will continue to advocate for assistance and continued negotiations. I am committed to working with our local, state, and federal officials to prepare the best possible response to DHL’s plan.