Just 12 hours before a strike was to begin Sept. 22, SEIU Local 503 reached tentative agreement on a new contract covering about 1,000 workers at Marion County, largely along the lines of the final employer offer that members rejected when they authorized the strike.
If ratified by members, the agreement raises wages 2% as of Sept. 13, and another 2% on July 1, 2027. The agreement also says the county will pay $2,100 per worker per month toward the health insurance premium for 2027, and workers will pay the $100 to $400 per month remainder.
Both those terms were in the employer’s earlier final offer. What’s new is that the county agreed to meet with the union in June 2027 to negotiate over how to divide health insurance premiums in 2028. The union has been pushing for Marion County to pay 95% of health insurance premiums, while the county wants to pay a flat dollar amount per employee.
