Many employees of Lehigh County’s Department of Human Services attended the county commissioners’ meeting March 27, voicing concern about lack of progress on a contract.

The county sheriff increased security around the room, with additional officers inside and outside the meeting room; however, the assembly remained perfectly peaceful and respectful.

Their union contract expired Dec. 31, according to one of the people speaking to the commissioners during the public comment portion of the regular meeting.

The employees have been working without a contract for almost three months.

Neither SEIU 668 shop steward Frank Gerlach nor Commissioner Marty Nothstein would say exactly what the problems are that are delaying negotiations. Nothstein, citing legal prohibitions against discussing the problems, would only say that, “The ball is in their court.”

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada.

According to Gerlach, the negotiating team for the county comprises Nothstein, Amanda Holt and Dr. Percy Dougherty. The fact that they are all Republicans is a point of concern for Gerlach.

“They are negotiating based on politics and ideology,” said Gerlach in an interview. He viewed his side as, “advocating for the highest quality services for the people we serve.”

This is at least the second time that the Human Services workers have worked without a contract. According to Gerlach, prior to the just lapsed contract, they worked for three years without a contract.

During that time, authority to negotiate contracts was wrested away from the County Executive and assumed by the county commissioners.

According to Gerlach, the ostensible reason for the change to negotiating authority was to “increase transparency.”

However, there is no public transparency as both sides declined to give details or explain problematic issues to the Press, both making reference to “laws” or rules that they claim keep them silent.

Regardless, the signs that workers carried show a groundswell of low morale: “Weak leadership drives poor services and hurts citizens,” read one sign. “We won’t go 3 years without a contract ever again,” said another. “Run government efficiently, not by politics and ideology.”

Some election day threats were also expressed on the signage: “Our workers and people we serve vote - good thing it’s an election year!”

Michelle Lee, a case worker, said, “We hope you will look at it as a human issue.”

In other business, commissioners approved Eric Minnich to complete the final term of retired County Coroner Scott Grimm.