Hundreds of Workers Take to Old Courthouse in Doylestown to Strike

DOYLESTOWN, PA—The union that held a one-day strike on Friday is scheduled to have its workers back on the job on Monday morning, but union officials refused to rule out another strike in the future.

Friday’s strike was held by the union whose workers staff services like 911, Neshaminy Manor nursing home and the Bureau of Children and Youth Services. A rally packed the lawn and the street in front of the old courthouse in Doylestown with strikers carrying picket signs and chanting slogans.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

Leaders of the union, SEIU Local 668, estimated that about 200 of their members were at the rally by noon. They expected about 300 to show up by the early afternoon.

Members of SEIU Local 668, the union that staffs services like 911, Neshaminy Manor nursing home and the Bureau of Children and Youth Services, strike in front of the old courthouse in Doylestown on Sept. 20, 2024.

The union has been working without a contract since January and is frustrated with the slow progress of negotiations. Bucks County officials offered a contract in July that was rejected by 99% of union members. A major sticking point was health care benefits.

SEIU Local 668 hasn’t gone on strike since being formed in 1976. Officials said while the union has authorized a strike once or twice in its history, last-minute deals have kept its members off the picket line.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

During Friday’s rally, many of the cars and trucks that drove by honked, giving the rally a festive feel. But union President Steve Catanese said his members were striking to show county officials that they are serious. “Our goal is not to have a prolonged strike,” Catanese said. “Our goal is to get a contract done.”

Catanese said that the July contract, which Bucks County officials described as their “best, last and final offer,” would have slashed the amount of money the county puts into a union fund for health care by 18%. Catanese said that while the fund doesn’t pay for medical insurance, it pays for other health benefits like prescription drugs, dental, vision and life insurance.

At a meeting of the County Commissioners on Wednesday, Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia said that the July offer would not cut health benefits. Ellis-Marseglia, who has been personally involved in the negotiations, told union members at the meeting that their leaders were giving them “misinformation.”

Speaking into a bullhorn at Friday’s rally, Catanese charged that Ellis-Marseglia was breaking federal labor law through her comments by trying to influence negotiations by contacting its members. He said the union would file a complaint this week over what he called “union-busting” tactics.

Ellis-Marseglia was not available for a comment on Friday. A spokesperson for Bucks County referenced a statement in which the county said the 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.”

The back-and-forth between the two sides energized some who were at the old courthouse for the rally. Samantha Otto, a union member who has worked for the county for seven years in the county’s jail, said she was frustrated by the slow pace of the negotiations and what she viewed as broken promises. The union has been working since Jan. 1 of this year without a contract, even though negotiations began in the fall of 2023, nearly a year ago. The two sides last met on Tuesday, but there had been no additional contact by Friday afternoon.

Otto noted that the union was expecting a different approach from the government because union officials made big concessions during the last round of contract negotiations. “I was there for the last contract negotiation in 2020 when our union steward said, ‘We will accept 2% raises because we don't know what covid is going to bring,’ ” Otto said. “At that time, our business agent said, ‘We will expect at negotiations that the good favor we are showing now’ ” will lead to a fair contract.

That version of events was backed up by Catanese, the union leader, who said that during the last contract negotiations, which took place in late 2020 during the financial uncertainty of covid, “the union played ball and took lower wages.”

Otto noted that many members are also frustrated by what many see as a refusal by county officials to negotiate. The union’s contract expired nearly 10 months ago, which is one reason the union felt compelled to call a strike.

Otto claimed that county officials “stormed out” of the last negotiating session knowing that a strike was looming. She noted that county officials spent less than an hour at the negotiating table for that meeting.

“It's disrespectful at this point that the county negotiators won't even come to the table and have a conversation,” Otto said.

Otto and other members of the union took an unpaid day off to strike. It’s financially a little painful, she said, adding that “Sacrifice is necessary if you want to see results and change.”

Because so many members of local 668 work in jobs serving providing health care and other types of service to members of the public, the union doesn’t take the idea of holding another strike lightly. The county said that it had arranged for supervisors, who work under a different contract, to fill in for striking workers.

Union officials, however, said that a handful of supervisors can’t cover the jobs for hundreds of workers. That’s why the union was planning on having its members report back to work on Monday morning.

But leaders like Catanese were quick to add that they’re not ruling out future job actions if county officials don’t return to the bargaining table or address their concerns.

“This could lead to additional strikes,” Catanese said. “This could lead to something more prolonged.”

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net