A contract dispute stretching back to 2007 between Erie County and the CSEA could be resolved soon. The tentative deal is now in the hands of the rank and file.
CSEA Local 815 has scheduled two informational sessions about the proposed contract next week for the union's 2700 members.
According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz it provides a raise of between two and two-and-a-half percent; in exchange the county's white collar workers would give back summer hours, one paid holiday and eventually pay a portion of their health insurance.
"I'm not counting my chickens before they're hatched, so to speak, because it still needs to be ratified by the bargaining unit. I just hope that they ratify it because it will be in the best interests of everybody," Poloncarz told WBFO News.
"If that's the case (approval by rank-and-file), we will have resolved it, not only for the past years, but through 2017. I think that's a good thing to provide economic stability for the county while also assuring our employees what their salaries are going to be for the upcoming years."
The new contract would require new hires to pay 15 percent of their health insurance premiums.
Calls seeking comment from the CSEA were not returned.