Orange County officials and representatives from Teamsters Joint Council 42 engaged in productive labor negotiations on Monday, raising prospects for a temporary halt to the current strike impacting county services. The union represents a range of waste and public workers across Orange County.
County Board of Supervisors Chairman Doug Chaffee noted the positive turn, stating that mediation had taken place and expressing optimism for a resolution. He suggested that a "brief break here" in the strike might be forthcoming. County officials are now working to arrange a special meeting for Thursday, a step that could facilitate Teamsters members returning to their duties for a period of three days.
Teamsters spokesman Christian Castro corroborated the positive sentiment from the discussions. Castro described the talks as "very promising" and indicated the union's readiness to finalize an agreement that acknowledges the value of its workers. The next move, according to Castro, rests with the county to present an acceptable proposal.
These labor discussions unfold as the strike, which began last Tuesday, continues to affect critical county operations. Services impacted include road and flood channel maintenance, the functioning of county landfills, upkeep of parks and beaches, and essential repairs for county and first-responder vehicles. For Irvine residents, as with all Orange County cities that contract their own waste hauling, reliance on county landfills for disposal means the strike has implications for waste management. Chairman Chaffee observed that some cities might be approaching capacity at their temporary waste holding sites due to the ongoing disruption. The county, according to Chaffee, has presented a "last, best and final offer," which he characterized as a significant improvement over previous proposals.
Concurrently with the negotiations, legal complaints have been filed by both sides concerning strike conduct. Orange County filed a complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on Monday, alleging issues with picketing methods at the county’s three landfill sites. The county's complaint specifically takes issue with picketers blocking traffic lanes into and out of the landfills. It further alleges that union workers provided false information to customers, claiming one of the landfills was closed.
The county's PERB complaint also details two separate incidents of alleged injury to picketers. According to the complaint, on Saturday around 1:30 p.m., a picketer's right foot was reportedly run over by a driver’s side tire of a public self-haul customer vehicle. Within an hour, a second picketer's foot was also allegedly run over by another public self-haul customer in Brea. The county cited these incidents as evidence of a "serious and ongoing safety hazard created by picketers standing or walking in the traffic lanes at the landfill entrances." Furthermore, the county's complaint states that the union's strike notice did not provide sufficient time for the county to implement its contingency plans.
In response, the Teamsters issued a statement "strongly denying these allegations," asserting that evidence would demonstrate otherwise. The union, in turn, has accused county officials of violating labor law and indicated that PERB is already investigating a separate complaint filed by the union. The Teamsters also announced plans to file additional charges with PERB. These new charges would accuse county officials of bad faith bargaining and of issuing "illegal threats" against employees participating in the strike.
The ongoing situation affects employees represented by Teamsters Local 952 in agencies such as OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling, and OC Community Resources. The next immediate step is the potential special meeting on Thursday, which could see county officials and the union agree to a short-term return to work while broader negotiations continue.
