(DOYLESTOWN) SEIU Local 668 members in Bucks County have overwhelmingly rejected an offer from the Bucks County’s Negotiation Team that would slash healthcare and retiree benefits. Over four days, union members employed by Bucks County cast their votes on the County Negotiation Team’s Last, Best, and Final offer.

The union members' vote was a resounding ‘No’; members rejected the proposal with more than 99% of the ballots cast. If the County does not return to the bargaining table to address workers' concerns with a fair contract, the SEIU 668 Negotiating Team has been authorized to call a strike.

For months, the union has been engaged in contract negotiations that have been hampered by needless delays and strongarm tactics employed by the Bucks County Negotiating Team, headed by outside legal counsel Kyong Ha Growney. The workers are now nearly seven months without a contract.

”We took a very small wage increase in our last contract because of the pandemic. We worked with the County with the understanding that this contract would pay it forward, but that’s not what we’ve been given. The County’s Negotiating Team has instead proposed cutting crucial benefits that we have had for years. They want us to go backward. They have shown no respect for the work we have done or the dedication we have shown to this community,” stated Heidilyn Hoffmeister, a shop steward and SEIU 668 Negotiating Team member.

SEIU Local 668 represents workers across multiple agencies in Bucks County; this unit includes workers from 911, the Area Agency on Aging, Children and Youth, Parks and Recreation, the Planning Commission, Drug and Alcohol Counselors, the IT department, and several others. If you would like more information or would like to speak with a union member, please contact Samantha Shewmaker at samantha.shewmaker@seiu668.org.

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