WELLSBURG - About 75 Brooke County courthouse workers called insick Wednesday, an apparent protest over the county's plan to switchfrom a private insurance plan to the state Public EmployeesInsurance Agency.
Sheriff Bernard Kazienko alerted Brooke County commissioners tothe 'sickout' plan. Commissioners voted unanimously in an emergencymeeting Tuesday night to keep the private plan, but the workerscalled in sick anyway.
Kazienko said he was told that employees were upset because thecommission decided to switch from the Health Plan of the Upper OhioValley to PEIA, which would have provided fewer health-carebenefits.
He would not say who told him about the sickout.
'There's only one or two courthouse employees here today. Theyare maintenance people,' Kazienko said.
The sheriff, assessor, magistrates, one judge and theprosecutor's staff were at work. The county clerk and circuit clerk,who had been attending a training session in Huntington, were headedback to the Northern Panhandle.
No emergency services were interrupted. The ambulance service andvolunteer firefighters continued to respond to calls. The StatePolice and city police responded to law enforcement calls in placeof absent deputies.
The sheriff, a county commissioner, the ambulance servicedirector and the county emergency services director answered 911calls.
Commissioner Norman Schwertfeger said the commission votedseveral weeks ago to switch health-care plans to save money. CountyManager Bob Roccelli said the change was expected to save about$100,000.
He said other elected officials who attended Tuesday's commissionmeeting agreed to work with commissioners on other budget cutsnecessary to address a $500,000 deficit in the county's $6 millionannual budget.
Kazienko said of the commission's change of heart, 'I don't knowwhether you would call it caving in. I think the commission saw whathappened here and re-evaluated, more than caving.'
Schwertfeger said that although he had heard some people were nothappy with the health-care switch, no county employees hadcomplained in writing or in person to the commission.
Kazienko said he did not plan to discipline anyone who called insick Wednesday.
'I don't require a doctor's excuse until after three days. Ifthey are sick, they are sick. What can I discipline them for at thistime?'
'We work well with our elected officials in Brooke County, and wewill continue to do that,' Schwertfeger said. 'We've got a verytight budget. We are struggling to do the right thing with ourbudget and our employees. It's a difficult decision right now.'
