Orange County officials have asked the California Public Employment Relations Board to prevent the Teamsters Local 952 strike that began nearly a week ago from blocking access to county landfills with picketing tactics.
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More than 465 workers with OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling and OC Community Resources walked off the job Oct. 13 after months of failed contract talks between union leaders and county officials.
The county’s 106-page complaint, filed Monday morning, also accused the union of engaging in “unfair practices” by failing to give the county sufficient notice of the strike and time to implement contingency plans, as well as physically blocking vehicle access to the three county landfills.
Two union members employed by the county had their feet run over by cars as a result of the union’s “illegal” picketing activities, the complaint said. “The incidents illustrate the serious and ongoing safety hazard created by picketers standing or walking in the traffic lanes at the landfill entrances.”
County officials said in the filing that a “last, best and final offer” was provided to the Teamsters on Oct. 13, but the union has not yet responded.
“We strongly deny these allegations, and the evidence shows otherwise,” union leaders said in a statement late Monday afternoon. “Throughout this strike, our members have exercised their legal right to strike and peacefully picket, while cooperating fully with law enforcement and following the law.”
In late September, the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board alleging the county failed to bargain in good faith. The union said Monday it will be filing additional charges with the labor board related to “the county’s continuing bad faith at the bargaining table, as well as illegal threats the county has issued against striking employees.”
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OC Waste & Recycling’s website late Monday afternoon said the Prima Deshecha, Olinda Alpha and Frank Bowerman landfills are open Tuesday for commercial haulers, although at one point earlier in the day the department said Prima Deschecha would be closed.
Olinda Alpha and Prima Deshecha landfills are closed to the public for self-hauling in waste until further notice. Public compost pickup is closed at all three landfills.
Daily trash collection at the Bowerman facility has fallen from about 8,000 tons to roughly 1,200 to 2,000 tons since the strike began, according to the county complaint.
Officials with the city of Orange notified residents and businesses in a Monday afternoon advisory of “potential delays” in waste collection services throughout the week due to the ongoing strike.
The Teamsters’ previous three-year contract with the county expired June 25. Bargaining team members said they approached the county in December to begin negotiations, but they said the county made no meaningful movement toward a deal until eight months later.
In August, union members voted down the county’s one-year offer of a 3% raise with no retroactive pay, which they said fell short of recognizing the value of their work.
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