More than 465 Orange County workers were on strike Tuesday after their union and the county failed to agree on a new contract, potentially leading to disruptions in essential government services for residents.
Members of Teamsters Local 952 went onto picket lines starting at 6 a.m., with union officials planning an 11 a.m. media briefing outside the County Administration Building in Santa Ana as the Board of Supervisors meets to decide on how to proceed.
The county employees work for departments such as Public Works, Waste & Recycling, Community Resources and other county operations and officially stopped work at 4 a.m.
The work stoppage could lead to delays in road and flood channel maintenance efforts, landfill operations, parks and beach maintenance work, repairs to county and first responder vehicles and other public services, union representatives said.
County officials said Thursday that contingency plans addressing the strike were in place to maintain necessary services.
“We respect the rights of our dedicated employees to engage in lawful strike activity under California law,” according to a county statement. “Our priority remains ensuring the continuity of essential public services for our residents. We have contingency plans in place to minimize service disruptions.”
Union officials said Monday the pace of contract negotiations is too slow and accused the county of failing to reach a fair agreement.
Teamster’s spokesperson Christian Castro said the county board told the union they will have a proposal for them after the meeting in a closed session on Tuesday.
“We have done everything in our power to reach a fair agreement,” Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 952, said in a statement. “Instead, we have been met with months of delays and a complete disregard for the workers who keep Orange County running. The county has forced our members to walk off the job to fight for the respect and fair contract they deserve. We cannot allow the erosion of our public services because the county refuses to invest in the workers who provide them. Our members are united, and we will not back down until we win a fair contract.”
According to the Teamsters, they asked the county to start the collective bargaining process as early as December 2025, more than six months before the previous contract expired. Despite proposals from the union that started in March, the county allegedly did not make meaningful moves toward an agreement until August.
The union has formally charged the county with unfair labor practices, alleging bad-faith bargaining.
Citing months of delays that have cost workers wages they will not recover, union officials contend the county has refused to provide retroactive pay as part of a new agreement.
The contract dispute comes months after the county Board of Supervisors voted to raise supervisors’ salaries by 25%, an annual increase of approximately $49,000 per supervisor, bringing their salaries to more than $244,000.
The county’s earlier statement did not address the union’s allegations regarding the pace of negotiations or retroactive pay.
The strike could affect services for over 3 million OC residents, according to the union.
Waste & Recycling reported Tuesday that public self-haul access is unavailable at Prima Deshecha Landfill, 32250 Avenida La Pata in San Juan Capistrano, due to picketing activity.
Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea at 1942 Valencia Ave. is open for public self-haul access 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, officials said.