OCEA members,
Several OCEA members have reached out to stewards and Labor Relations Representatives with questions about the Retirement Assistance Program (RAP) adopted by the County on June 23. Generally, when the County proposes to create or modify a program that impacts the employee-employer relationship, it must meet and confer with the impacted bargaining units. Despite OCEA’s request to meet and confer, that process has not begun. OCEA cannot agree to support the RAP, because the County has not yet determined or provided us with significant program details. Also, among other obstacles, the County has not guaranteed that it will fill the vacancies the RAP would create.
What We Think the Program Will Do
As we understand it, regular and limited-term County employees who are retirement eligible through OCERS would be eligible to participate in the RAP. The County would pay a one-time incentive into the Health Reimbursement Arrangement accounts of program participants. The County has shared that almost 1,200 OCEA-represented employees could be eligible, but at least four classifications would be excluded: Librarian I-IV, Library Assistant I-II, Library Clerk and Animal Care Officer. Additional classifications could be excluded, and departments may have some ability to restrict internal eligibility.
What Your Union Changed
The County’s original proposal contained a section providing that every position vacated through RAP would be automatically and permanently deleted. We told the County that was a non-starter, brought our concerns about vacancies and increased workload to the Board of Supervisors, and that section was removed from the conceptual plan approved by the Board.
Why the Vacancy Rate Matters
The current vacancy rate is unacceptable and unsustainable. During our last contract term, the County deleted 887 OCEA-represented positions. Combined with current vacancies, our members face a 19% functional vacancy rate—nearly one out of five OCEA-represented positions are sitting open. This reality adversely impacts your working conditions. You live with that every day. You’ve told us that you have neither the time nor the resources to do your critically important work. Vacancies don’t provide public services; workers do.
Until the County guarantees to backfill vacant OCEA-represented positions, we are not interested in this program. We reject any program that will increase the stress our members are experiencing, and any plan that needlessly cuts public services. Frontline workers need relief, not more position cuts. OCEA and the County have not held substantive, formal discussions about the County’s program. We have provided the County with dates to meet. The ball is in the County’s court. We will update you if and when those discussions occur.
In Solidarity,
Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager
