A planned one-day strike by Mercer County Children and Youth Services workers set for Wednesday has been called off after a tentative agreement was reached.

Charlene Smith, business agent for SEIU Local 668, told 21 News that the agreement had been reached between the union and the county.

The union issued the following statement:

Mercer CYS workers reached a tentative agreement (TA) with Mercer County on Tuesday night that maintains language that allows CYS workers to protect their healthcare coverage. As a result, they will no longer be on strike April 9.

“We are happy we were able to reach an agreement,” said Shelley Dorfi, Chief Shop Steward. “We knew losing the language could impact the quality of our healthcare which would not only affect our current workers and their families, but could also deter recruiting new CYS workers.”

Key to the members was agreeing to contractual language that allowed them to maintain their ability to have a strong voice in their healthcare choices while allowing the County the flexibility it desired in procuring healthcare.

As with many CYS agencies across the Commonwealth, Mercer’s agency faces recruitment and retention challenges. The original contract, which expired in December, contained language allowing CYS workers to negotiate their healthcare. A key sticking point in negotiations was a County proposal to remove that language. However, quality healthcare is a key driver of worker retention, and Mercer’s CYS workers advocated passionately to ensure theirs remained intact.

“I’m proud of us for sticking together,” said Dorfi. “We wouldn’t have won this fight without all of us sticking together and all of the community support we received.”

As with all TAs, workers must agree to this tentative agreement through a ratification vote before a new contract can be finalized. The scheduling and results of the vote will be released at a later date.

Workers had threatened to strike, citing stalled contract negotiations and a dispute over contract language covering healthcare benefits.

The union represents case workers, clerks, and fiscal staff.

Shelley Dorfi, chief shop steward, said the workers were fighting to maintain existing contract language that gives them a role in health care decisions.

The Mercer County Board of Commissioners released a statement regarding the tentative agreement.

"We are especially grateful that this agreement was reached without disruption to services. By avoiding a strike, we have ensured that our most vulnerable residents continue to receive uninterrupted support and care," stated Commissioner Ann Coleman. 

She continued in the release, stating," We recognize and deeply value the dedication of our CYS staff and believe this contract honors their important role while maintaining responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources."

The release went on to state that the Mercer County Board of Commissioners thank all parties involved in the negotiation process for their "professionalism, persistence and collaborative spirit."