County Members Ratify Tentative Agreement

OCEA member,

The OCEA Board of Directors is excited to announce that OCEA has certified the ratification of a Tentative Agreement with the County of Orange by all six OCEA bargaining units.

The ratified Tentative Agreement will enable you to individually choose your best option to help fund long-term medical expenses after your retirement or other separation from County service. Importantly, it also immediately adds additional opportunities to effectively manage and maximize the value of your individual leave banks.

Thank you to every member who attended one of the three in person or Zoom informational meetings or viewed the ratification video online. Over eight days of voting OCEA members in every bargaining unit clearly understood the significance of these accomplishments and spoke with one voice to ratify the Tentative Agreement.

This coming Spring the County and OCEA will communicate additional information to help you select your Retiree Medical Grant (RMG)/Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) option. We know each worker has a unique situation and life circumstances. Therefore, the County plans to launch a website with an individual portal where you will be able to access your own relevant information. The portal will also allow you to compare the impacts of the individual choices available to you.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt the ratified Tentative Agreement at its Dec. 20, 2022 meeting.

We want to thank each OCEA member who voted in the ratification process. Exercising this basic right is at the heart and soul of why working families stand together to bargain in good faith for fair wages and benefits.

Also, remember that the OCEA Board of Directors and staff are already hard at work in preparation for negotiations to achieve successor contracts in each OCEA bargaining unit. We anticipate commencing those negotiations with the County early in 2023.

It’s a privilege for us to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you to achieve improvements for all OCEA members that positively impact their workplace and personal lives.

In Solidarity,

Judy Bowling, OCEA President
Charles Barfield, OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: December 19, 2022