MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - As they approach one year without a new contract, Teamsters Local 377 has given a 10-day strike notice to the Mahoning County Engineer.

A post on Facebook by Teamsters Local 377 shows an image of county engineer Pat Ginnetti on a milk carton with a caption that he is missing from contract negotiations. The union says Ginnetti has not attended any bargaining sessions. 

"There's no need to make it personal like this. That's not really accomplishing anything," Ginnetti said about the milk carton.

Ginnetti said he hired a legal team to do the bargaining and three of his management people also take part in the talks, and they give him briefings. He also points out that he has millions of dollars worth of projects that need his attention. "There's no need to have the entire staff sit in on negotiations," he said.

 Ginnetti believes the county is best served by hiring the professional negotiators who have experience with contracts and contract language. 
The union questions the spending of thousands of dollars when the county prosecutors office would be at no cost.  

The Teamsters represent 44 workers who patch roads, cut grass and operate snow plows in the engineer's department. Their previous contract expired in April of 2017 and with 28 unresolved issues still on the table, union leaders say the members are frustrated.

"They're not asking for a lot, they just want to get a contract and we don't know why Pat's not coming to the table, sitting down and negotiating a contract," said Local 377 Secretary-Treasurer Sam Cook.

The union says not all the issues are economic, they also deal with seniority rights, work schedules, and vacation.

 The engineer expects the process will continue.

"Through negotiations, there's always give and take and we're going to continue to try to get a better level of service delivered for the residents of Mahoning County, which they deserve," Ginnetti said.
 
The union says the vote to authorize a strike was unanimous.