County Update - June 16, 2020

Dear OCEA member,

The safety of OCEA members and their families is the top priority of your union during these challenging times. We must also stand strong together as one union to protect each worker’s economic health and security. The COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty all over the world and that uncertainty extends to Sacramento where state lawmakers are at work crafting the budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The OCEA Legislative Advocacy team continues to analyze the state budget as it evolves and we will know more about its potential impact on the County in the coming days.

Yesterday, a County supervisor discussed potential budget impacts in a Voice of OC article, including the possibility of furloughs. You can read the full article here. OCEA General Manager Charles “CB” Barfield summarized OCEA’s position on furloughs succinctly: “Public health nurses, social workers, and other frontline workers are in the trenches against this pandemic. They are keeping us safe and going above and beyond every day," said CB. “We hope the County won’t short change its commitment to the community when these workers are needed most. The County can find plenty of places to save money that don’t involve putting community health at risk, or penalizing those who are giving their all to serve our community during these challenging times.”

Our union is strong when we stand together. Our team will continue to evaluate the state budget and monitor the efforts in Washington to secure additional state and local government stimulus funding. As always when we have additional information, you will be among the first to know.

If you would like to volunteer to be part of a group of OCEA members who monitor safety in the workplace, please go to www.ocea.org/getinvolved. Stay safe, stay strong, and together we will prevail.

In Solidarity,

Orange County Employees Association

Publication Date: June 16, 2020