LAWRENCE COUNTY Union weighs strike deadline of Election Day

By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County workers are considering an Election Day strike after another failed negotiating session Tuesday.
The 62-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2902, which includes election workers, met Tuesday with county officials, but came away without an agreement.
Denise Palkovich, union steward, said members will meet at 4 p.m. Oct. 13 to take a strike vote, with Nov. 2 -- Election Day -- as the strike date.
She said wages are the sticking point. The union has agreed to a change in health insurance, Palkovich said.
The county offered workers a 2.1 percent pay increase or a flat $500 increase, according to Susan Quimby, county human resources director.
Quimby noted that the workers' health insurance will be changed to Select Blue, a product of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. They now have Health Assurance. She said workers will make no contribution to their health insurance costs but will pay $20 for a doctor's office visit. They now pay $10. Their cost for name-brand prescription drugs will also increase from $10 to $20.
Want pay increase
But Palkovich said health insurance isn't the problem. The workers want a pay increase comparable to the county's other labor union employees. She said those workers, who have a higher base salary already, got a 45-cent-an-hour raise.
Palkovich said that during Tuesday's negotiation, the union offered to take a 35-cent-an-hour raise.
Commissioner Dan Vogler said this morning that he hopes to meet with the union in the next month to resolve the issue before the election.
"I'm confident that we can reach an accord prior to that. I will certainly commit to having a face-to-face discussion with the folks from the union," he said.
Quimby said she expected to hear from union representative Dan Grove today to set up a new negotiating session before Election Day.
Besides election workers, the union represents employees from the controller's office, assessor's office, mental health, mental retardation, children and youth services, maintenance, switchboard, data processing, planning and veterans affairs.
cioffi@vindy.com