Your Holiday Bonus arrives Dec. 29

Dear OCEA member,

I want to remind all OCEA members that you will receive a $500 bonus in your regularly scheduled paycheck on Dec. 29. (Part-time workers receive a prorated bonus amount). As you know, OCEA members fought for and were able to secure this bonus for OCEA-represented members as part of our most recent contracts with the County. Here are two items to note about eligibility and time of payment of the bonus:

• OCEA-represented County workers on the payroll as of the payroll period immediately preceding the Dec. 9 pay period are eligible to receive the bonus; and
• The reason the County distributes the bonus on the last payday of the year is to allow County payroll to properly identify and include every eligible worker.

Our current three-year contracts will expire in June, and the future of this bonus is one of the many benefits we will discuss during 2018 negotiations. Your OCEA Board of Directors, Stewards and staff have worked diligently since the adoption of our current contracts to prepare for these upcoming negotiations. Look for an announcement in coming weeks about the composition of the 2018 OCEA coalition bargaining team and additional updates regarding negotiations. If you want to find out more about how you can help, sign up to join the Contract Action Team at www.ocea.org/getinvolved.

I hope this Holiday Season is safe and happy for you and your families. Thank you for all you do!

In solidarity,

Jennifer Beuthin
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: December 14, 2017