OCEA members,
You may be hearing that the County is ready to move forward with the Retirement Assistance Program (RAP) and that OCEA is holding it up. That is not what is happening. Here are the facts.
Notice and Meet & Confer Obligation
Under state law, the County generally cannot implement a new policy, program, rule, or practice that affects wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment without first providing notice and an opportunity to meet and confer with the union. Despite the fact the Board of Supervisors adopted RAP in June, County management had an obligation to provide reasonable written notice to OCEA, as the affected union, and provide OCEA with an opportunity to bargain before implementation. County management provided written notice on July 23 and, in response, OCEA provided the County with its request to bargain. In anticipation of our formal meet and confer meetings, OCEA has requested the County provide information and analysis regarding the proposed programs.
What We Already Changed
OCEA’s advocacy efforts have already produced critical changes to the proposed RAP structure. When the Board of Supervisors adopted RAP in June, the program terms required that every position vacated through RAP be automatically and permanently deleted. Due to our members’ concerns about rising vacancy rates and the impact vacancies have on their working conditions, OCEA told the Board position deletion was a non-starter. We urged the Board to strike that provision in full, which they voted to do. Automatic and permanent position deletion is no longer part of RAP.
That was the first phase of this fight. The County’s vacancy rate is already one of the central issues in County negotiations and creating permanent, additional vacancies would have compounded a problem we are trying to address.
Where It Stands Now
In addition to sending preliminary notice and information last week, the County also answered the initial set of questions we submitted. Here is what they told us:
- 1,187 OCEA-represented employees are eligible for RAP, based on the County’s own analysis.
- The County has told us that four OCEA-represented classifications are exempt from RAP, meaning they cannot participate: Librarian I through IV, Library Assistant I and II, Library Clerk, and Animal Care Officer.
- On the Part-Time Plus Program (PTP), which lets a department leave part of a full-time position unfilled, the County has not conducted neither an interest survey nor an analysis of any kind. The County described the goal as giving departments another cost savings tool.
- No OCEA-represented classifications are exempt from PTP. Participation is left entirely to the Department Head’s discretion.
What Comes Next
In addition to the information we have already received from the County, we have additional questions for which we will need answers, such as:
- What happens to the work and assignments of those who choose to retire or are permitted to go part-time?
- What’s the County’s timeline to fill vacant positions?
- What are the budget savings and where will the savings be allocated?
- Will there be a cap on the number of approvals by section or department?
Once the County provides complete responses to our questions, we will meet and confer with them over the impacts of RAP on County workers. The obligation to meet with OCEA is not optional for the County. Our goal is direct: Make sure any impact on OCEA members is minimized before this program’s implementation.
If you are considering RAP or PTP, talk to your supervisor, manager, or OCEA. We will provide updates as they become available.
In Solidarity,
Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager
