Jane Hay, the union’s local president, says the county’s final offer is not fair and does not measure up with the county’s latest contract with workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union.
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She told this news organization following the vote Wednesday that, “PGO membership rejected the county’s last offer made.”
“It is our hope that the county will want to get back to negotiate an offer that we can take back as a tentative agreement to recommend to our membership,” she said.
She added, “We never divulge the numbers (of the vote) as management would try to use it against us.”
EARLIER:
Montgomery County Children Services union workers are scheduled to vote today on the county’s final contract offer following months of negotiations that have not yielded an agreement.
When the process began over seven months ago, the union wanted a 6% increase for all bargaining unit employees. The county originally offered a 1.5% increase.
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The county later offered a 2% increase for all bargaining unit employees. Then the county went to 4%.
And most recently, it has offered a 5% increase for all bargaining unit employees, retroactive to April 1, which resulted in a tentative agreement between the parties. That deal later fell through.
A Saturday deadline looms for an agreement to be reached on a new contract as Common Pleas Judge Richard S. Skelton has urged both sides to work on finding a way to settle the contract dispute.
Union members — represented by the Professionals Guild of Ohio (PGO) — constitute about 270 child welfare workers who handle abuse and neglect cases for about 2,000 children.
Jane Hay, the union’s local president, says the county’s final offer is not fair and does not measure up with he county’s latest contract with workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union.
“The vote will take place today and we will meet in the morning to go over all of the facts,” Hay told this news orgranization. “The county’s final offer of 5% does not include workers who are topped out or on the top of their pay range. They would only get their raise in a lump sum. So that was not for the full membership. As the cost of living goes up and health insurance, they deserve the 5%, not just the lump sum.”
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