Dear GGCEA Member,
Tomorrow, the City Council is set to approve a 7.5% raise for the City Manager.
Yes, the highest-paid person at City Hall is getting a raise. This comes after tough negotiations with the City, during which our members rejected the original LBFO and ultimately ratified a modified version. Even after compromise, the City was not willing to provide wages that truly reflect the work our members perform across all City services.
Throughout negotiations, workers were expected to accept limitations, compromises, and “austerity.” Now, those limits clearly don’t apply to the highest-paid executive. This isn’t shared sacrifice. It’s a double standard.
GGCEA members keep this City running. You provide essential services, solve problems, and make sure the City functions every day. Watching the top get a raise while workers were asked to compromise is frustrating, disrespectful, and damages morale. Leadership expert Simon Sinek wrote in Leaders Eat Last that true leadership means putting others first—serving your team before serving yourself. Right now, the message from City leadership is the opposite: executives first, everyone else last.
We are sending this message to City Council and City leadership so they understand exactly how this looks, and how it feels to the people doing the work.
City employees deserve better.
TAKE ACTION: Attend the City Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., to show solidarity. OCEA staff will speak on behalf of all workers.
In Frustration and Solidarity,
Team GGCEA
