Over 400 county employees are headed back to work tomorrow after the leaders of the local teamsters union announced they were pausing their strike amid improved negotiations with county supervisors, noting they expected a vote on a new contract to take place on Friday.
The pause comes amid competing claims from county leaders and the union, with union leaders alleging the county didn’t negotiate in good faith while county leaders say the strikers improperly blocked the streets and slowed down processing at the county landfills.
The strike, which began last Tuesday, is now on pause as a show of “good faith,” according to an unsigned statement posted to the Local Teamsters 952 union’s Facebook page on Tuesday evening.
“Following discussions with the County during mediation, we believe we are moving in the right direction toward reaching an agreement,” reads the statement.
They also noted county supervisors would be hosting a special meeting on Friday to discuss a new deal, but that no specific agreements have been reached yet.
“We hope Friday’s meeting produces an offer our members can be proud to vote on so we can put this strike behind us and continue doing what we do best, serving our communities,” reads the statement. “If the County does not return with a fair offer that recognizes the critical work our members perform, we are prepared to immediately resume our strike and return to the picket lines.”
The previous offer that union members turned down was for a one-year, three-percent raise contract, the same deal that was offered to the rest of the county’s unions after county leaders claimed for months they could not offer any raises.
Previously, leaders of the teamsters said that negotiations with the county had stalled, with negotiators not being granted the power to execute any deals, prompting the strike.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
