After a Year of Contract Negotiations, Potter County Commissioners Still Refuse to Acknowledge Workers’ Concerns of Economic Instability.

The Potter County Commissioners’ comments imply that human services workers are being offered a generous wage package with a modest healthcare contribution. This is far from the reality of what Potter County is offering workers. 

None of the starting raises for any bargaining unit position will reach $20 an hour. We have been deadlocked on wages for months. Many full-time employees with children are so poorly paid they qualify for public assistance, even as public workers. With so many vacancies across agencies, why work for Potter County when Mckean County will pay 30% more for the same job?

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reimburses Potter County for approximately 90% of our salaries. The Commissioners want you to think they’re following principles of fiscal responsibility, but in reality, they’re spending tens of thousands of dollars on a union-busting law firm so they can continue suppressing wages in Potter County and neglect public services.

The healthcare contribution the Commissioners referenced in their statement conveniently leaves out that they are proposing that employees pay 25% of the County’s portion. This will negate the wage increases for multiple people over the life of the contract. It should also be noted that there are no in-network healthcare providers in Potter County under this healthcare plan.

“We have been in contract negotiations for over a year. We need a contract that will allow us to do our job and put food on the table for our families. I’m a breadwinner in my family, and so are many of my co-workers. The cost of living in Potter County has risen dramatically, and the current economic proposal is not enough to close the gap for many working families. How do the Commissioners expect us to make ends meet?” stated Lacey Crawford, SEIU Local 668 Shop Steward.

Attached is a chart of the current starting rates for select Potter County positions, with the County’s proposed wage proposal and the corresponding rate to comparable positions in Mckean County.