SCRANTON -- Lackawanna County workers who handle child abuse and neglect cases have hit the picket line.
Workers picketed Friday morning on the corner of Spruce and Adams on Courthouse Square in Scranton.
Workers for the office of Youth and Family Services are represented by the AFSCME union. Many of the workers were outside the county administration building most of the day picketing, at times cheering loudly so you could hear them throughout downtown.
But their complaints were aimed at the sixth floor of one specific building: the commissioners' office.
The county case workers who advocate and care for children in the foster system spent most of their day yelling to get their point across, but the workers say when they voted to strike the day before, there were tears.
"A lot of us have children and we have our case load and we are very close to the kids on our case load and our parents. So it's a very hard decision to do this, but we deserve more money for the job that we do," said caseworker Jessica Mumford.
Pay raises, sick days, and health care costs are the main reasons why the office of Youth and Family Services has been without a contract for two years and why about 100 workers decided to strike.
Union leaders say there are no further plans for them to meet with Lackawanna County commissioners.
"[Commissioner] Wansacz had called us back to the table this past Tuesday at 9:00 and did not show up and rejected our offer and did not offer a counter proposal," said caseworker Lou Strazzeri.
A county spokesperson says Commissioner Wansacz wasn't scheduled to be at the negotiation session.
That prompted one particular sign from the picketers.
"They've received less raises. They pay twice as much for their health care as other workers in the county do and it's just time for the commissioners to be fair to them," said Matt Balas, AFSCME District Council 87.
The Lackawanna County commissioners say they can't comment on any negotiations going forward, but they did say in a statement that the Office of Youth and Family Services will continue to run, but with a very limited staff of non-union employees.
Commissioners have said they may have to hire replacement workers if the strike goes on.
The union that represents the Office of Youth and Family Services is one of the only county unions that cannot go to court arbitration to settle contract negotiations. The workers feel that allows them to be taken advantage of.
"They don't understand what we do every single day."
Earlier this week, county commissioners showed us the contract that offers two percent raises that the commissioners believe is fair. There is no word on any upcoming negotiations.