We’ve Reached a Tentative Agreement at Marion County!
After 11 hours of bargaining today, the MCEA Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Marion County. As such, the MCEA Bargaining Team has called off the strike!
Our goal for this contract has been to get affordable health care and we have made sure that there is no increase in heath care for 2027 and a way to fight for 95/5 for 2028.
This tentative agreement with Marion County on wages and insurance includes:
- A reopener for 2028 heath care – to ensure we can continue fighting for 95/5 before the 2028 rates are set.
- 2% raises on September 13, 2026, and July 1, 2027.
- Employer contribution Increases for 2026 and 2027 health care, ensuring no premium increases from today.
- And more.
The bargaining team strongly believes that this is the best contract we could secure at this time. This re-opener is an important provision because it gives us time to work with the County on the underlying problems with our health insurance and to ensure that we have quality, affordable health care.
For the first time, the County will bear the cost of health care increases, not workers. That is because of the work we did to fight back against their proposals and to build a campaign where workers were willing to strike.
Hundreds of you spent weeks preparing to strike – and when it mattered, you showed the County exactly what that preparation meant. You stood together. You voted. You packed Board of Commissioners meetings. You showed up for strike school and picket captain trainings. You made it clear that Marion County workers were ready to take action and fight for a fair contract. That power changed what was possible at the bargaining table. Together, you won this agreement. What we built together during this campaign is the foundation for what comes next. We’ll be back.
Join us this Tuesday, September 22nd for an update on this decision and to hear more about the next steps we will take, together, to win.
In Unity,
Kristina Ballow
MCEA President
This is what being in a union looks like: workers standing together and using our collective power to win. If you’re not a member yet, join us — and if you have coworkers who aren’t members, forward this email and ask them to join. The stronger we are, the more power we have to fight for better wages, affordable health care and a fair contract.