Adams County emergency medical workers have voted to strike. But they will not walk out of their jobs.
It's against Illinois law for emergency medical personnel to actually go on strike.
But the Machinists Union representing the workers requires a so-called strike vote if workers reject a contract. Their agreement expired Nov. 30. Negotiators for the county and the union couldn't work out a deal.
Then the employees turned down a three-year contract last night that a federal mediator came up with earlier this week.
So where does this leaves the ambulance service, its employees, and the people it serves?
The Adams County Ambulance Service employs both EMTs and paramedics. But a news release from the Machinists Union complains that some of the EMTs have a paramedics license and do the same work, but make less money.
According to union representative Mark Conner, that's not fair.
"You've got the EMTs looking at scenarios of 18 years or more to get from bottom scale to the top. And you've also got the EMTs who are functioning as, who have their paramedics license, have to function by law as a paramedic which provides a better service to everyone in a community and they feel like they deserve more money as well."
But Mike Troup, who chairs the ambulance district board, says the county can't afford to pay all 35 workers a paramedic's wage.
"We cannot continue the type and service we have with five full-time ambulances running 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we cannot operate that with a 100 percent paramedic paid staff."
Not only are the ambulance workers not legally allowed to strike, paramedic Brian Kelty says they don't want to strike.
"By law and by personal opinion as far as the crew's concerned here at the ambulance service, we are not leaving our post. The Adams County ambulance will be taken care of through thick and through thin,'' Kelty said.
The Adams County Ambulance Board will meet in closed session next week to continue work on an agreement.
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