Hundreds of Orange County workers represented by Teamsters Local 952 are threatening to go back on strike after rejecting the latest contract proposal from county leadership, the union said Tuesday.
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“The (OC) Board of Supervisors returned with the same offer we warned them would not pass, and our members overwhelmingly rejected it as it fails to respect the critical work they perform every day,” Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 952, said in a statement. “We took down our picket lines and returned to work in good faith, but the county has once again failed to deliver.”
More than 400 workers with OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling and OC Community Resources walked off the job Oct. 13 after months of failed contract talks over pay increases. The picketing caused disruptions to landfill operations, county officials said, leading the county to seek an injunction from the state labor board.
Union leaders halted the strike on Oct. 21, as negotiations with the county appeared to be showing progress.
The union said Tuesday in a press release that members are prepared to return to the picket lines unless the county comes up with an improved contract offer. Union leaders called the latest offer from the county “part of a troubling pattern of prolonged negotiations and delays that have prevented workers from securing a fair contract.”
The union does not currently have a definite date for resuming the strike as talks are still ongoing between both parties, Teamsters representative Christian Castro said.
In August, union members voted down the county’s one-year offer of a 3% raise with no retroactive pay. The latest offer from the county increased the pay bump to 4%, but still did not include any back pay, according to Castro.
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Union members “overwhelmingly rejected” the new proposal as the concessions did not cover losses incurred by the county’s own delays, Castro said.
Third District Supervisor Don Wagner told CNS last week that he believes the county’s “last, best and final offer was a reasonable one under the circumstances.” The county’s finances are tight, especially since it had to pay out millions of dollars in settlements for the Airport Fire, Wagner said. He’s pointed out before that the county would have to match contracts reached with other county bargaining units if something more was given to the Teamsters.
“We’re really stuck because we have dwindling resources,” he said and urged the Teamsters to take the latest deal because it would only be for a year and the county is likely to be in better shape financially next year.
“Next year, there will be a new supervisor in District 4,” Wagner noted. “We’re also looking for a new CEO, and the third thing is we’ll have a better handle on next year’s financial situation. This is not a great time for big, monumental decisions.”
County spokesperson Molly Nichelson said in a statement that the county will continue implementing contingency plans to minimize disruptions in service.
“The county respects the rights of our dedicated employees to engage in lawful strike activity under California law,” she said.
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City News Service contributed to this report.