Marion County Workers Threaten Strike
SALEM, Ore. - More than 700 employees of Oregon's fifth largest county could vote later this month to go on strike. The Marion County Employee Association says it's scheduled a strike vote for August 30th. The Salem-based union has been working without a contract since the end of June.
Union member Sara Fillion works at the public health department. She says the county's offer would be the second contract in a row without a cost of living adjustment.
"There's only so much room in a family's budget to make cuts before middle class families have to cut out the essentials," Fillion says. "So Marion County employees are feeling the pinch."
Marion County spokeswoman Jolene Kelley says the proposal does include merit raises, which she says the majority of employees receive. Kelley says the county hopes to avoid a strike. But she says county services would continue uninterrupted if the workers walk off the job.
On the Web:
The expired contract: http://www.co.marion.or.us/NR/rdonlyres/C3CDD4C6-F41A-4B85-A8D8-FDECA447518B/0/MCEAContract.pdf
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
More From Politics
Comments
You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
