McHenry Co. unions say strike may be possible

Two groups of McHenry County employees could strike after the county board Tuesday imposed new three-year contracts on the workers.

After meeting behind closed doors for about an hour, the board voted to approve a new deal with the coroner's employees by an 18-2 vote and ratified the contract with animal control workers by a 17-3 margin. Ersel Schuster and Randall Donley dissented on both votes; Kathleen Bergan Schmidt was the third "no" vote on the animal control contract.

Board members have called the contracts their "last, best and final" offer and said the increases in the agreements compared favorably with the private sector.

"I believe it's a fair offer," board member John Hammerand said before the vote. "In this economy, a 3 percent raise ... is a lot better than the outside market right now."

The contracts will give the union members a 3 percent pay hike retroactive to December 2008, another 2 percent raise retroactive to December 2009, and a third hike in December 2010 equal to the pay raise for nonunion employees.

Union leaders disparaged the deals as "status quo" contracts and said the county workers are underpaid compared to their peers in other counties.

"We're going to request to come back to the table and negotiate with us," said Matt Mattingly, a union representative with the Service Employees International Union Local 73, after the vote. The service workers union represents five employees of the coroner's office and 12 in the animal control department.

Union organizers have said workers could strike if the county does not return to the bargaining table. Mattingly would not speculate on that possibility Tuesday.

Tuesday's vote came after more than two years of unsuccessful talks with the union negotiators. The employees have been working under 2007 terms and wages since they unionized in 2008 and began contract talks with the county.

Deals: Unions want more talks