EASTON, Pa. — Workers in Northampton County’s Department of Human Services will not strike this week, union officials said Wednesday, as members consider ratifying a newly negotiated contract.
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 668 initially planned a one-day strike Friday, after negotiations with the county broke down.
The union represents employees in many of the department’s most critical sections, including Emergency Services, Early Intervention, Information and Referral Services, Children and Families and Aging.
A previously scheduled negotiation session Monday yielded a new contract, Local 668 spokesperson Samantha Shewmaker said.
Members will vote later this week on whether to ratify it.
In the meantime, employees will not strike.
"We can confirm that we have a tentative agreement to settle the contract pending approval of the bargaining unit," County Executive Lamont McClure said in a statement.
The county’s latest bid has not been publicly shared; its negotiators previously offered employees a 15% raise over three years.