COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A union is putting out a call in Columbus and across the state to fill thousands of open public service positions.

On Thursday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) held a ‘Staff the Front Lines’ rally in Columbus.

Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Council President Shannon Hardin came to show their support.

“Columbus is open for business and we are hiring,” Ginther said.

The goal is to make people aware of the number of public sector jobs that are available right now.

“Coming out of a pandemic, a lot of private sector jobs got filled. And in fact, private sector jobs are actually ahead of where we were coming out of the pandemic. That’s not true in the public sector,” AFSCME Ohio Council 8 President R. Sean Grayson said. “Here in the city of Columbus alone, there are over 440 classifications that have job openings.”

Some of the jobs Grayson says the city needs are health department nurses, wastewater plant operators and trash collectors.

The Staff the Front Lines bus is traveling all across the US to show the need for front-line workers everywhere.