SEIU and Healthcare PA union members picket as contract negotiations stall in Westmoreland Co.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- SEIU members working for Westmoreland County spent some time on the picket line on Wednesday.
Contract talks began several months ago and union members say that no progress has been made.
SEIU Local 668 and Healthcare PA union members walked away from the talks yesterday when they say county commissioners failed to produce proposals they could accept.
"Non-union members received an 8% raise already and we have been negotiating our contract since May," said Wanda Smith, lead representative for SEIU and Healthcare PA. "The county brought us to the table early and we have gotten nowhere."
The union says that wages in Westmoreland County are too low to fill critical positions at 911 dispatch, the county courthouse, and the juvenile detention center.
The union contract is set to expire at the end of the year.