MONTICELLO — After two years of contract negotiations, Sullivan County government and Teamsters Local 445 have not come to an agreement on a labor contract. Barring a swift resolution, the next step is to enlist the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to present recommendations.

The union represents 516 county employees who work in different departments including Family and Community Services, and workers at the Care Center at Sunset Lake and the 911 center.

According to Jerry Ebert, Teamster Representative for the Main Unit, Sullivan County employees make less than county employees in surrounding areas.

“We welcome the county's move to impasse, because it will prove county employees make an average of $10,000 per year less than employees in equivalent positions in local towns, villages, school districts, prisons and local counties - including Delaware County,” Ebert said.

The county's offer, made in December and supported by all nine legislators, would have given every Teamsters member at least a $3,000 increase to their base pay, if not more, and 122 positions would have received a five percent raise on top of that. Adding in a number of concessions, the county's offer would have required the appropriation of $1.6 million more in the county budget.

On Friday, County Manager Josh Potosek sent a letter to all Teamsters employees, outlining the most recent offer that was rejected by Teamsters negotiators.

“It's critical for the county's workforce to be aware of the significant offer legislators authorized my office to make,” Potosek explained. “It's also important for them to understand how hard we worked to make this deal happen, and that I share their frustration at the lack of an agreement to date.”

The deal also would include raising the minimum wage of all county employees to $15 an hour by the end of 2019. The average Teamsters member's annual salary in county government is $37,000. The latest offer would increase the average salary to just over $40,000.

Potosek said any higher offer will force the county to raise taxes beyond the 2 percent state-mandated cap. “The county has gone as far as it can whilst remaining fiscally prudent and responsible to the taxpayers,” he said.

Ebert said negotiations will resume in the coming weeks. “The county is making a good faith effort to allow us a decent contract. We believe we are 80 percent there. However, that last 20 percent is very important to us,” Ebert said.