Three Towamensing Township public works employees remain on the picket line two weeks after going on strike over what their union calls the alleged illegal firing of a coworker and ongoing labor disputes with township leadership.

Towamensing Township board of supervisors Chairman Guy Seifert said Thursday that he couldn’t comment on the situation, other than to confirm they remain on strike.

“Everything’s being covered,” Seifert said. “All functions are being covered.”

Rob Reznick, a business agent with the Teamsters Local 773, said Thursday that three public works employees remain on strike.

Reznick said that through a Request for Information and also a Right to Know, Teamster Local 773 “has learned and can say with full confidence that Towamensing Township has spent $60,734 of taxpayer dollars on their “‘labor attorney.’”

“Our full economic proposal would have cost the township $40,000,” Reznick said. “So far, they’re $60,000 (and change) in trying to fight us.”

In addition, Reznick said “they have also attempted through the Right to Know Law to delay all other requests the allotted 30-day period, claiming they need time to gather the information.

“They continue to refuse to bargain a settlement and have told us that there’s only one way a settlement happens and that is without reinstatement of Chris Miller,” Reznick said. “The bargaining unit remains in good spirits as the public outreach and support has been outstanding.”

Reznick said the workers are out from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“The public support has been great,” he said. “People have been stopping by with food.”

Reznick said they are out on an unfair labor practice strike.

“We had provided to them a reasonable settlement for the strike,” he said. “We said ‘we will end this now, bring Chris back to work, return the plow routes that they subbed out back they took from the guys and return to work’. We heard back and they said we are maintaining our position and are not interested in that.”

According to Reznick, “the subcontractor that they hired are charging the residents $185 an hour to plow the roads, rather than have these guys do it.”

“We’re ready to bargain day or night, any time,” he said. “We will remain out until justice is served.”

Reznick added they will all be in attendance at the board of supervisors meeting at 7 p.m. March 5.

“Our biggest ask from the public is that they come out to the meeting,” he said.

The workers have been on strike since Feb. 6.

The strike was triggered by the suspension and termination Feb. 2 of a township employee.

Reznick said tensions between workers and township management have been escalating since employees began organizing. After workers filed for a union election, management began changing policies, he said.

The union has been able to reverse some of those changes at the bargaining table.