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  Fulton County Probation Officers Join Local 992 October 5, 2005 On September 5, Fulton County Pennsylvania Probation and Domestic Relations Hearing Officers voted to join Local 992 in Hagerstown, Maryland by an overwhelming margin. The vote marks the second public service victory in less than a year for the local. “We had not ventured into the public services area before last year,” said Tom Krause, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 992. “But it became apparent that there were many public workers in the area that could use the help of the union. Once we won the first group, others came forward to seek our assistance. Now we intend to make the organizing of all of these public services groups a priority.” The seven officers sought the help of Local 992 because they felt county officials did not take their concerns about wages, pension benefits and seniority issues seriously. And, as a small unit they did not have the strength to push for major changes, such as raising wages to match similar professionals in the region. “We are very pleased with our new status as Teamster members,” said George Cutchall, a probationary officer and leader of the organizing effort. “With the strength of Local 992 behind us our issues won’t be ignored any more. We just want to be treated fairly—and now we will be.” "It was clear these officers needed an advocate," Krause said. "We knew from our recent experience in Franklin County that we could help improve their situation and give them a voice in the workplace." Krause looks forward to negotiating a strong contract for the Fulton officers and said bargaining meetings with the county may be under way by early November. In the meantime, the new members are selecting stewards and prioritizing issues for the contract process. "We are becoming comfortable working in the public services area thanks to help from Dan Virtue and Bill Olmeda at Local 776 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania," said Krause. "It’s really opened up new horizons for us at the local and will give a lot more workers in our area the chance to get the protection and recognition on the job they deserve.”
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