EVERETT — The union that represents most Snohomish County employees has rejected a new contract offer and signaled they’re prepared to strike if no agreement is reached.

Members voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to turn down the county’s offer, union President Chris Dugovich said. They also authorized their bargaining team to set a date for a strike. No date has been set.

They’d rather negotiate than strike, though.

“Again, that’s the last resort,” Dugovich said. “Nobody wants to jump off the cliff. We’d rather come to a resolution.”

Talks started 15 months ago. They’re expected to resume in January.

The Washington State Council of County and City Employees represents more than half of the county’s 2,800-member workforce. Their most recent contract expired at the end of 2014. It included cost-of-living increase of 1.35 percent for the first year of the contract and 1.5 percent for the next two.

It’s common for local governments to finalize a new union contract months after the old one has expired.

For those not at the bargaining table, it’s difficult to understand what’s at stake. Negotiations take place behind closed doors. There are no public documents that describe the proposals.

The bargaining process became unusually public in August, when a majority of the County Council voted to reject a proposed contract. Council members who voted down the offer accused Executive John Lovick of straying outside the parameters they had set.

County Council Chairman Dave Somers led the effort to reject the proposal. At the time, he was running against Lovick for the executive’s job. He won the Nov. 3 election and is set to take office next week.

The union supported Lovick during the campaign. In October, union leaders organized a rally outside the county administrative buildings demanding that the County Council throw their members a bone — a dig at Somers’ dog, Hewitt, whom he usually takes to work.

Council Vice Chairman Terry Ryan voted with Somers to turn down the proposal in August.

“We’d like to get it worked out, but we have a budget we have to stay within,” Ryan said this week. “We can’t offer money we don’t have.”

Wednesday was the first chance for union members to vote on the upcoming contract.

Sticking points include medical benefits as well as pay. Dugovich said the union wants the county to reform the way it runs its self-insured medical fund.

They hope to make progress next year, after the holidays. Dugovich said the union is prepared to work with Somers, as they have with the four county executives who preceded him.

“We’re like the furniture. The elected guys come and go. We’re always here,” he said. “We’ve dealt with the past five executives, back to Willis Tucker. And we’ll deal with the next five.”

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.