More than 400 Orange County Teamsters strike as contract talks stall

More than 400 Orange County employees represented by the Teamsters were on strike Tuesday amid stalled contract negotiations, according to Voice of OC. The union planned picket lines at all three county landfills and the county hall of administration.

The walkout involves workers across county departments, though most county employees represented by Teamsters Local 952 work at landfills. County officials said they had contingency plans to limit service disruptions; Voice of OC did not document any actual interruptions.

Eric Jimenez, secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 952, said negotiations had been stalled for months. In a statement to Voice of OC, he accused county officials of failing to bargain in good faith and said the county had not moved toward resolving the dispute.

An Oct. 6 letter from Joseph Eckhart, interim general counsel for the California Public Employee Relations Board, also alleged bargaining failures by the county. According to the letter cited by Voice of OC, the county had not adequately empowered its negotiators, offered counterproposals or prepared for talks. Those were allegations, not reported findings.

Most other county unions are working under a one-year agreement that includes a 3% raise, Voice of OC reported. The Teamsters, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union rejected that agreement.

Molly Nichelson, a county spokesperson, said in a statement cited by Voice of OC that maintaining essential services for residents remained the county's priority. She said contingency plans were in place to minimize disruptions.

Jimenez said the union would agree to further mediation if county negotiators were given authority to negotiate. As of Tuesday's report, the strike was continuing.