BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. – Northampton County human services workers pushed back Friday against a possible department-wide furlough next month, spurred by the lingering state budget impasse.
Last week, county administration notified Service Employees International Union Local 668 that about 175 union-represented human services workers could be out of work indefinitely starting Oct. 20.
The department is responsible for a broad portfolio of essential support services. Its workers investigate reports of child abuse, offer anti-addiction and mental health support, respond to emergencies regarding the welfare of seniors, help provide services for disabled children and their families, and run county referral lines.
State funds cover 80% to 100% of every county human services employee’s paycheck. With state reimbursements largely frozen until legislators adopt a budget, counties have had to find other ways to pay human services staff.
Northampton County’s furlough notice clears the way for county officials to send home any – or all – county human services workers.
“Northampton County does not have to do this,” said SEIU Local 668 President Steve Catanese. “There are measures the county could be taking to prevent this from happening.”
“Northampton County does not have to do this. There are measures the county could be taking to prevent this from happening.”Steve Catanese, president of SEIU Local 668
Cantanese suggested county officials could take a short-term loan to keep paying staff, and pay it back once state money eventually comes through.
Lehigh County, among others, has considered a similar move.
McClure: 'Absolute last resort'
Though administrators would try to keep everyone working, County Executive Lamont McClure said Friday he could not rule out furloughs later this year without reimbursements.
“We're going to do everything we possibly can to avoid those furloughs. They'll be an absolute last resort,” McClure said. “This is just a tool in our toolbox, and if we didn't give [the union] notification, we wouldn't be able to use it if it becomes necessary.”
McClure said Friday that in the event of a furlough, he would leave some staff in place to ensure essential work is completed and the county’s clients are not helpless, particularly in safety-critical child and adult protective services.
“If we are all gone, who is going to help the people that are the most vulnerable in this county?”Kezzy Johnson, the union’s chief shop steward
The county will not take out a short-term loan to fund human services, McClure said, because county taxpayers would have to pay the interest, effectively paying extra for services the state is obligated to provide.
During a news conference Friday outside the county’s human services building in Bethlehem Township, SEIU representatives urged administrators to look for any other option that keeps members working — and to consider taking out a loan.
“The fact that we are being put in the middle of this political back-and-forth is insane,” said Kezzy Johnson, the union’s chief shop steward. “If we are all gone, who is going to help the people that are the most vulnerable in this county?”
According to Catanese, SEIU and county administrators have been in contact, but have not formally agreed on terms narrowing the scope of a potential future furlough.
Morale buster
County Controller Tara Zrinski, too, criticized the administration’s decision to propose a furlough, arguing that the county can and should find the means to continue paying human services workers without state support.
Seeking a loan to keep paying workers, in particular, would be a viable strategy for the county to ward off a furlough, Zrinski said.
“We cut our nose off to spite our face. This interest is a small price to pay for the safety of our community and the security of our workforce,” said Zrinski, a Democrat who is running this year for county executive. “Furloughing human service workers is unnecessary, it is wrong, and it will end up costing us far more.”
For workers inside the department, the prospect of losing pay for weeks while leaving clients in the lurch has hurt morale, Johnson said, as workers feel caught in the middle of a political fight they cannot control.
“All we want is just to do our job the best that we can,” Johnson said.
