County employees return to work after strike
–County of San Luis Obispo employees headed back to work on Friday morning after its largest employee union went on strike earlier this week.
“We welcome employees back to work today after many exercised their right to strike and have their voices heard,” said County Administrative Officer Wade Horton. “Now we have the difficult task of bridging the divide and bringing everyone together for the people we serve. I’m confident that we will work as a team to find some common ground moving forward.”
The union, San Luis Obispo County Employees’ Association (SLOCEA), went on strike from Tuesday, Dec. 11 through Thursday, Dec. 13. This is the first strike in the county’s history.
SLOCEA represents more than 1,700 of the county’s nearly 3,000 employees. About 900 SLOCEA members participated in the strike, with about 300 stopping work for multiple days and the rest stopping work for one day. County officials provided daily updates on known public service impacts of the strike.
The strike came after months of negotiations between the county and SLOCEA representatives led to a tentative two-year deal that included 4% total increases to wages and benefits. While SLOCEA representatives tentatively agreed to the two-year deal, SLOCEA members ultimately did not accept it. The county and SLOCEA found themselves at impasse, at which time the county imposed the deal’s first-year terms, which included increases to the county contribution to healthcare and wages.
This imposition came after the county announced on Oct. 9 that it is heading into its second year of an anticipated budget gap, with expenses projected to outpace revenues by an estimated $5 million to $10 million.
Comments
