The strike by Essex County library workers is now in its second month and the main stumbling block remains sick time.

It’s a contract issue that has now been accepted by another union, also working for Essex County. Teamsters local 879 accepted a new contract with the county of Essex.

Details won't be released until after Sept.7, when County Council looks at and accepts the new deal for their road maintenance crews.

CTV News has learned the contract includes a change in sick time policy.  

CUPE Local 2974 spokesperson Lori Wightman explained the difference between the two groups.

“The teamsters are a full time workforce, all of them are full time, we are 80 per cent part-time,” says Wightman.

According to details provided by the union, workers need to put in 15 hours per week, in order to qualify for short-term disability benefits. Wightman says most of these workers don't get that many hours.

“We're all one, we can't leave somebody behind because we're tired of walking,” says Wightman.

In a statement to CTV News, library CEO Robin Greenall says the 15 hour work-week threshold is already in place for library workers for long-term disability and benefits. She goes on to  say the part-time employees have already accrued on average 260 hours of sick time, which the county is proposing to grandfather-and let them use should they accept the policy change.

On day 61 of this strike, Wightman says they have a new source of frustration.

“We just found out recently that even management’s negotiating team doesn't know the details of the plan they want us to sign off on,” says Wightman.

Wightman is talking about a series of emails, given to CTV News by CUPE. The thread is from Aug. 9, six weeks into the strike.

They show Greenall trying to get more information on the sick time plan, from the insurance company.

She writes 19 of the 58 staffing positions that will not meet a 15 hours/week minimum. Followed by “I can see why the union would fight the proposed plan.” Greenall adds “I have a few ideas to support the majority reach a minimum threshold.”

Wightman says “we haven't heard any of those ideas, we haven't heard, ‘Hey! Let’s get together, we have heard nothing from the library board.”

Greenall adds some of those ideas include getting extra hours for community programming or extra time spent doing outreach programs.

As of now, there are no talks scheduled between the county and the union.

However, CTV News has learned the Ontario Labour Relations Board will be hearing CUPE’s "bad faith bargaining" complaint on Sept. 15 in Toronto.