OCEA members,
On June 17, 2026, the OCEA Negotiations team met with the County for our second official negotiations session. At our last session, OCEA presented our initial proposal. We also held a membership meeting immediately afterward, which you can view here.
At the June 17 meeting, we received the County’s initial proposal. Our team characterized the County’s proposal as “insulting,” “tone deaf,” and out of step with our membership. The reaction reflected a significant level of frustration and disappointment.
The County rejected most of OCEA’s proposals, which our union spent months developing and refining. That broad dismissal demonstrated little consideration for our priorities. The County also presented counterproposals, most of which do not reflect OCEA members’ best interests. We continue to hold firm on our most important proposals and remain committed to negotiating a fair and equitable contract.
You may have seen that current CEO Michelle Aguirre is leaving her County position at the end of the month. That matters because today’s proposal was heavily shaped by her office. The CEO and County finance team yet again created irrational fear around the budget, despite a long history of underestimating revenue and missing spending projections. Simply put, the County has consistently failed to accurately project its revenues and expenses, and we will continue to call them out on that failure.
Despite these challenges, our team is not backing down. We expected this process to be rocky. A new CEO, elections, and County upheaval all have pointed to difficult negotiations, but we remain focused and committed to reaching a fair agreement.
Here is what comes next:
- Board of Supervisors Closed Session on OCEA negotiations | Tues., June 23
- Negotiations Session 3 | Wed., June 24
- Negotiations Session 4 | Wed., July 1
- OCEA Union Action Team meeting | Thurs., July 2, at noon (virtual)
- Negotiations Session 5 | Wed., July 15
Learn how you can get more involved!
In Solidarity
Team OCEA
