Your voice is needed - Voting on agreement with the City of Laguna Niguel now open!
Dear OCEA member,
The events of the past few months have been highly unsettling. The COVID-19 crisis resulted in a significant economic slowdown which in turn caused widespread unemployment, worker safety challenges, and significant reductions in local government revenue.
The City of Laguna Niguel projects major declines in sales and property taxes for the next fiscal year, and an additional shortfall in sales taxes for the current fiscal year. Your OCEA bargaining team and the City have engaged in discussions over the past several weeks regarding potential impacts to you and your co-workers.
The City has taken action to provide retirement incentives for eligible workers, furlough all part-time employees, cut budgeted spending for each department, and freeze management wages and merit increases.
Yet City representatives informed us that those measures were not sufficient to close the budget gap and proposed numerous additional concessions for OCEA-represented workers. Your bargaining team focused on protecting jobs and made several counterproposals to minimize the burden on workers. Ultimately, the parties were able to reach a tentative agreement on a Side Letter to the MOU containing the following provisions:
- There will be NO LAYOFFS AND NO FURLOUGHS during the period covered by the Side Letter (from now through July 1, 2021);
- The effective date of the wage increase scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021 will be postponed to July 1, 2021;
- The City agrees to reopen discussions regarding restoration of any concessions in the event the City receives any additional federal, state, or local funds; and
- There will be a new performance review system put in place in October 2020 which will include a worker feedback component.
Your voice is needed!
You have an opportunity to vote for the ratification of the Side Letter agreement between the City of Laguna Niguel and OCEA. Voting is currently open. Remember, only Association members may cast a ballot. Voting will be conducted electronically through Noon on Friday, June 12, 2020. To cast a ballot click here.
Click here to read the Side Letter for the Middle Management, Supervisory and Professional Unit and use this link to read the Maintenance, Clerical and Technical Unit Side Letter.
Representatives and Bargaining Team members are available to answer any questions you may have. We will also conduct an informational Zoom meeting at Noon Thursday, June 11, 2020.Please click here to join.
We know these are difficult and challenging times that will require sacrifices from public workers across California. Your Bargaining Team believes the NO LAYOFF/NO FURLOUGH protection in this agreement provides you and your family safety and security in the coming year and strongly recommends a YES vote on the Side Letter. I want to thank Bargaining Team members for their time, effort, and commitment to your job security as together we get through this turbulent period.
In Solidarity,
Saliem Aregaye
Lead Negotiator
Publication Date: February 26, 2020