Washington County jail guards vote to replace Teamsters with another union
Washington County jail guards voted Friday to change their bargaining unit’s affiliation to the National Correctional Employees Union.
The guards will continue to be represented by Teamsters Union Local 205, White Oak, until the certification process with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board is complete and the appeal deadline passes, said Dennis Bachy, administrative officer for the PLRB Pittsburgh office.
Sixty-four full-time and part-time employees were eligible to cast votes, 35 of which were in favor of joining the National Correctional Employees Union, based in Springfield, Mass. Seven chose to remain with the Teamsters.
Joseph Fellencer, labor representative, said the National Correctional Employees Union has members in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
The county’s contract with jail guards expired Dec. 31 but, by law, corrections officers in Pennsylvania are forbidden to strike.