OCEA members,
OCEA and the County met for our second formal negotiations session on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. As you may recall, the County provided OCEA with a financial presentation at our last session. Yesterday we provided our response.
OCEA was ready and equipped with hard facts and expert analysis from Harvey M. Rose and Associates. The verdict: the County’s financial condition is both stable and generally favorable. It’s time the County stopped hiding behind excuses and recognized the truth. We deserve better.
In addition to what we shared in previous emails, here are some additional financial facts with which we confronted the County:
- The County projects that by June 2026 its General Fund reserves will be $204 million greater than its reserve target, which is two months of operating reserves.
- County Reserves have INCREASED by $252 million since 2019.
- The County has consistently underestimated actual General Purpose Revenues, ranging from $5 million in FY 2024-25 to $95.7 million in FY 2022-23. According to the County’s 2025 Strategic Financial Plan, General Purpose Revenues are projected to grow on average 3.5% annually and reach $1.5 billion in FY 2030-31.
- The combined fund balance of four internal funds (Workers’ Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, Transportation, and IT) as of June 2025 have excess balances totaling $94.6 million.
After laying out undeniable financial facts, we confronted the County team with the harsh reality of being an OCEA member in today’s environment.
OCEA members are now 8.32% behind the statewide average for 70 job classifications—an unacceptable gap the County keeps ignoring. With inflation at 3.8% year to date, our paychecks are shrinking even more. Meanwhile, the increased workloads resulting from vacant and deleted positions continue to grow.
It’s time for the County to stop making fiscal excuses and start demonstrating its plan for the most predictable operational cost: the cost of labor. Last, we detailed the four broad topics we will address for OCEA members during 2026 Negotiations:
- Wages: We need competitive general wage increases.
- Inflation: We need contractual enhancements to address the rising cost of living.
- Vacancies: To address increased workloads and resulting stress, the County needs to fill, not delete, vacant positions.
- Flexibility: The County needs to provide greater flexibility in work scheduled and arrangements to meet the needs of current and future workers.
Our next meeting is on May 27, where we will present our initial proposal. That meeting will be followed by Virtual Membership Meetings at noon AND 5:30 p.m. May 27.
We hope to see you at one of those two meetings.
In Solidarity,
Team OCEA
