Update: MOU Pay Increase Remains In Force

Dear OCEA members:

I want to update you on steps taken by OCEA Board members, Stewards, and staff to protect your financial security in this continuing public health crisis and the resulting County budget shortfalls. 

Many of you inquired about the status of the wage increases negotiated by your OCEA Bargaining Team and adopted by the County last fall.  Let me be clear - the MOU provisions we fought for remain in force.  Your paycheck due on July 24, 2020, should reflect a 2.5% general wage increase for all workers and a further 1.2% decrease in the employee contribution for those workers paying into the County's Reverse Pick-up retirement formula. That's a wage increase of 3.7%.

You may have heard recent comments from County officials about their budget concerns. Our position is that OCEA members on the front line should not be penalized when they have served their community with skill and dedication while assuming risks to their own health and that of their families. 

To meet its fiscal challenges, County management initially tried to promote its usual default position: threats of layoffs and furloughs. After discussion, it was agreed such measures are both premature and totally unnecessary given the County's financial reserves and the possibility of further federal aid. 

A consensus was achieved on cost-saving measures. One is a Voluntary Furlough program added to existing Voluntary Job Share and Voluntary Part-time programs. We will have details on additional proposals when these are prepared for possible placement on a future County Board of Supervisors' meeting agenda. 

The leverage provided by our strength in numbers is why we were able to negotiate for wage increases, maintain them in a crisis, and insist upon voluntary cost-saving measures as opposed to imposed layoffs and furloughs. 

These challenging and unprecedented times offer no roadmap. What we do know is that, in every situation, we are going to stand together for the safety, security, and stability of OCEA's working families. 

In Solidarity, 

Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: July 6, 2020