Several weeks ago, an entire shift at the County Jail called off sick with the flu, now a report by the Altoona Mirror indicates that more workers called of sick yesterday. The call offs were in protest of a continuous dispute between the commissioners and county employees over pay and benefits. The Mirror reported that maybe 20 staffers in several county departments called off yesterday. When an entire shift of prison workers called off two weeks ago, the entire prison had to be put into lock down. The Commissioners argued that increased wages and benefits would cause them to increase taxes on its citizens, which could lead to people losing their homes. Workers say that they may be forced to find higher paying jobs elsewhere.
