RECAP—OCEA Membership Briefing Call-in
Dear OCEA member,
The COVID-19 crisis caused OCEA to examine how to successfully continue to do the essential work of advocating for your health and safety on the job. OCEA has led by example by closing our building to the public and providing all staff members with the ability to telecommute. Your health and safety remain our focus as the pandemic unfolds.
On Tuesday, we held our first virtual membership briefing and I want to thank all of you who participated by calling in. You can hear the entire discussion by clicking here. OCEA President Lezlee Neebe made opening remarks and speakers included myself, OCEA staff members Tim Steed and Bridgette Washington, and OCEA Steward Laura Lampers.
County Board of Supervisors
At a special meeting Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors adopted federal legislation establishing Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL). The County went further than required and will allow 80 hours of EPSL for ANY EPSL qualifying absence. You can read the communication from the County on implementation here. This enhanced policy wouldn’t have happened without you.
OCEA members submitted over 500 individual concerns (including emergency sick leave). Many have been addressed at the management level, but we took others all the way to the County executive and the Board of Supervisors.
Social Distancing
OCEA Operations Manager Bridgette Harris reported on conditions at the Orange County Jail and the Countywide lack of Personal Protective Equipment. She conveyed Animal Care worker concerns about the lack of communication to the public about available services. She also reminded listeners that any directive that violates social distancing should be documented and reported to management, Stewards and OCEA labor representatives.
Standing Together at the Housing Authority
Laura Lampers and her coworkers ran into a culture at the County we know all too well – follow established norms regardless of real-world conditions or else get thrown under the bus. We all need to be workplace leaders and speak up together, says Laura. Now is not the time to let just one spokesperson come up with solutions. We all need to be part of the process that allow us to provide services to the public AND stay safe. Laura and her coworkers demanded change and they got it: Suspension of in-home housing inspections, almost 100% telecommuting, and a sanitized office area.
Political Front
Asst. General Manager Tim Steed is working with OCEA’s political allies to make sure they have worker perspectives on COVID-19 containment while trying to maintain essential public services. You can help keep the County accountable by becoming a Workplace Safety Partner. Click here for our "Get Involved" link and we will contact you.
Public health officials say it may be several weeks or more before the virus hits an apex and infection rates begin to decline. During this unsettling time workers like you and your fellow OCEA members are the heart and soul of OCEA and the community. Public workers helped build the County’s parks, infrastructure and services providing the professionalism that keeps residents safe. When we emerge from this crisis, it will be because workers like you helped bring us through.
In Solidarity,
Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager
Publication Date: April 1, 2020
