PCEA members,
On Monday, June 15, 2026, your PCEA negotiations team delivered your ratification decision to the City: members rejected the City’s Last, Best, and Final Offer. We formally declared impasse and advised the City that we remained open to mediation, while also making it clear that we were prepared to accept the first year of the City’s two-year offer if there was no path to additional movement.
On Wednesday, the City notified PCEA it intends to impose the first year of its offer. A special City Council meeting is scheduled for June 30 to adopt those terms. The imposed agreement will run from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, and we will return to the bargaining table early next year.
This has been a two-year battle. Throughout negotiations, the City consistently and repeatedly claimed there was no money available for PCEA. Undeterred, you stood together. Your solidarity is what helped us move the City from its original proposal and secure improvements.
Here is what your fight delivered: last year, the City’s proposal was two years with a 4% increase in the first year and no increase in the second year. We rejected that proposal and ultimately secured a mediated agreement that provided a 2.75% increase in January, followed by a 2.5% increase in July, for a total of 5.25% over the term. The agreement also includes increased vacation accruals, a guaranteed holiday closure this year, and improvements to educational and tuition reimbursement benefits.
Thank you to the PCEA negotiations team and every member who stood together throughout this process. We will continue working with the City to ensure the contract is adopted timely and your general wage increase is implemented in July.
We know this outcome does not reflect what PCEA members deserve. We also recognize that recent changes among City leadership may impact the negotiations landscape moving forward. While we do not yet know the full effect of those changes, we are monitoring the situation closely and will continue advocating for the improvements PCEA members deserve when we return to the bargaining table.
The fight is not over. We will keep you updated as we move forward and prepare for the next round of negotiations.
Questions? Contact OCEA Operations Manager Veronica Rodarte at vrodarte@ocea.org or (714) 835-3355.
In Solidarity,
Veronica Rodarte
