A union that represents some employees at Northampton County's Gracedale nursing home has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the county with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
The complaint was filed Thursday by Local 2599 of the United Steelworkers Union, which represents 50 nurses and social workers at Gracedale in Nazareth.
It charges that the county intends to unilaterally replace their health care plan with "a less favorable plan" on Jan. 1.
Those employees have been working under an extension of a collective bargaining agreement that was set to expire at the end of 2010.
Until now, the county has continued to honor the terms and conditions of that collective bargaining agreement, said local president Jerry Green.
The complaint states that on Nov. 18, county administrator Cathy Allen met with the union to advise it of the change in health care and said that change will go into effect even if the USW objects to it.
The complaint claimed Allen said she and the county administration didn't care if the union arbitrated the matter.
The union calls that a clear violation of Pennsylvania's labor law.
The union's position is that the parties are working under a status quo contract and that the local never waived its right to bargain.
Green said the county has a strained relationship with the union under the administration of county Executive John Brown.
The complaint filed with the PLRB states the union has requested to continue bargaining on a new contract on numerous occasions, but "the county has stalled and has not cooperated with the union. The county has only offered to meet with the union when the county is looking for concessions from the union."
The local is asking the PLRB to hold the county accountable by ruling in favor of the union.
Green said the local's relationship with Northampton County has taken a different road since Brown's administration took over.
"It's very disappointing," he said. "I didn't think it would be this bad. We thought we at least would have a cordial relationship."
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