Marion County Workers Turn Up the Pressure as Contract Talks Stall

Marion County workers packed a board of commissioners meeting in the first week of August. They came to send one message: enough is enough. Management refuses to move on cost-of-living raises. Management refuses to move on healthcare costs. So, workers showed up, spoke out, and took the fight public.

MCEA President Kristina Ballow didn’t mince words; during her testimony, she formally declared an impasse in bargaining.

MCEA Vice President Amanda Farrar named what’s really at stake: “Healthcare affordability has been our number one priority the entire eight-plus months that we’ve been bargaining… Affordable healthcare is not about getting rich. It’s about being able to take care of their family in an economy that is really struggling.”

Here’s the truth the board doesn’t want you to see: they claim they can’t afford a fair contract, but they had no problem voting themselves a 60% pay raise. Meanwhile, they’re offering workers just 2% over the next two years. They’re stonewalling on a 95/5 healthcare split that other county units already have. And if premiums keep climbing, workers could pay nearly $700 per month more, just to keep the coverage they have now.

Workers built this county. Workers deserve a fair contract. Workers aren’t backing down. 

Stand with Marion County workers. → Email the commissioners now