Workers Walkout over Healthcare

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- Having worked nine months without a contract, 300 unionized Bucks County employees that handle 911 calls, Children and Youth Services, Area Agency on Aging, and drug and alcohol support, among other posts, hit the bricks in a one-day noisy walkout sparked with blasting car horns and speeches at the Government Services Building here demanding a contract that maintains healthcare benefits.

No date was set for continued contract talks; some union workers indicated the walkout might resume a second day.

For its part, the county said it was aware of the planned work stoppage that ran all day Friday, Sept. 20, and had arranged for supervisors to fill in for striking workers “to ensure the public is served without delay,” according to a county statement.

Members of SEIU 668, representing more than 500 employees, voted Sept. 11 to authorize the strike following a vote in July where 99.6 percent of members voted against the latest contract offer seen by them as including “massive cuts to healthcare benefits.”

The strike was Local 668’s first ever, and the union said it had planned it “after nine months without a contract despite more than a year of contract negotiations.”

The workers have been without a contract since the beginning of 2024 when the two sides entered into contract bargaining discussions.

“The county’s latest proposal has demanded massive cuts to healthcare benefits,” said Edward Berger, an SEIU 668 Negotiating Team Member. “Bucks County’s essential public workers deserve a fair contract that protects our healthcare, not a cut to our hard-earned benefits.”

Added Steve Catanese, president, local 668: “The cuts they’re proposing are equal to about 18 percent in year one. A direct cut like that will impact their health and welfare severely.”

In response, the county said it was willing to continue contract talks.

“This administration stands ready to continue negotiating to reach a fair salary and benefits package for our valued employees and looks forward to welcoming them back to work on Monday,” said the county.

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Honking car horns and speeches at Doylestown, Pa., rally.Photo byMier ChenonUnsplash