4.25% County Wage Increase and Small Dues Increase Friday

Dear OCEA member,

This Friday you will see the 4.25% OCEA-negotiated wage increase for 2024 reflected on your paycheck! For an average OCEA worker, that means a base pay increase of $130.77 per paycheck, or $3,400 annually.

You will also see a 4.25% increase to OCEA dues—for the average OCEA worker that equals 60 cents per paycheck, or $15.60 annually. Like every other labor organization, OCEA must responsibly deal with the ever-increasing cost of providing representation. As you may recall, the OCEA Board of Directors acted proactively in 2022 so members would not face large, unexpected dues increases in the future. They implemented a policy to raise dues only when general wage increases occur, and to limit any dues increase to the same percentage as the wage increase.

OCEA members will still pay one of the lowest dues amounts of any union member in California.

This wage increase is the second of three wage increases negotiated by your OCEA Negotiations Team in 2023. Those increases include 4.75% in June 2023; 4.25% in June 2024; and 4% in June 2025, for a total of 13% over three years. That contract also included multiple enhanced premium pay provisions and beat back attempts by the County to reduce or eliminate OCEA rights and benefits. We achieved substantial wage increases, multiple additional wage enhancements, and numerous other contract improvements and while strongly rejecting every single takeaway the County proposed!

Strong contracts don’t just happen. They are the result of our union standing together and forcing the County to make improvements. For too long the County of Orange was anti-worker. We have tirelessly committed to elect pro-worker elected officials who will stand with us. For decades our union has been building leaders in the workplace who will advocate for those who support the people who deliver critical services to our communities.

We fought hard in 2023 and we are already preparing now to fight for you when we return to the table. Our recent OCEA Leadership Conference focused on leaning into our Stewards best strengths, to build a stronger, more informed and active union between now and next negotiations. We are already working to identify the future leaders who will be the voice of the union during negotiations in 2026.

Considering recent outsourcing efforts in Huntington Beach, it’s more important than ever to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the County. A career in public service remains one of the few remaining sectors where standing together in a union results in better pay and quality of life for everyone!

If you have an interest in joining the Union Action Team, or becoming an OCEA Steward, please contact us at ocea.org/getinvolved. If you have further questions regarding negotiations or the MOU, please contact OCEA at 714-835-3355.

In Solidarity,

OCEA

Publication Date: July 18, 2024