"99% of the members voted to strike," said SEIU Local 668 President Steve Catanese.
Workers say they've had no contract for almost a year and overwhelmingly felt this was necessary. Bargaining discussions most recently failed last week.
More than 300 workers will strike outside the Bucks County Courthouse Friday with a rally around lunchtime. This includes workers across a variety of agencies, including Children and Youth Services, the Area Agency on Aging, and the IT Department, as well as Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol support, Early Intervention, and Developmental Programs.
The union says Bucks County has insisted on large cuts to workers' health benefits.
"The county's been proposing pretty heavy benefit cuts for them, equivalent to about 18% of what they're currently getting," Castanese said.
This comes after a pandemic-era contract where workers sacrificed given the circumstances and now feel it's time for the county to return the favor and recoup some of what was lost, not have more taken away.
"The hope is the one-day strike shows how serious this is. Our goal isn't to be out on a prolonged strike, these workers are people that want to do their jobs," Catanese said. "We're hoping by the end of the day tomorrow we're able to get somewhere more productive."
In response to the planned strike, a spokesman for the county released the following statement:
"The County is aware of the planned one-day work stoppage and has arranged for supervisors to fill in for striking staff Friday to ensure the public is served without delay. This administration stands ready to continue negotiating to reach a fair salary and benefits package for our valued employees and looks forward to welcoming them back to work on Monday."