Garden Grove Workers Show Unity, Demand Fairness at Council

Your Garden Grove employee unions showed up in force at the May 27 City Council meeting —with one clear message: Garden Grove workers deserve fair treatment and a fair contract.

After multiple bargaining sessions with little meaningful movement from the City on key priorities, we took your concerns straight to the decision-makers. Together, we delivered petitions signed by nearly 200 employees from every City department and across all classifications calling for:

• Wages that keep pace with rising costs
• Affordable and sustainable health care
• Fair pay for night shifts and specialized roles
• Recognition and retention of experienced employees
• Clear, merit-based advancement

From start to finish, your voices were front and center:

• OCEA Assistant General Manager Tim Steed reminded Councilmembers that you are the backbone of this City—maintaining streets, keeping water flowing, supporting public safety, and making community events like the Strawberry Festival possible. You deserve a contract that reflects your essential role.
• OCEA Labor Representative Mariela Ortiz told the story of a Dispatcher who is a recognized leader in their field, yet still classified as “low income” by Orange County standards—because the City's compensation structure hasn’t kept up.
• OCEA Lead Organizer Carlos Rosales called out a key inequity: Garden Grove is the only agency among its comparators that does not offer shift differential for 24-hour operations. From Animal Care workers responding to urgent calls after hours to Public Works crews keeping infrastructure running in every kind of weather—these employees are vital and deserve pay that reflects their commitment and regional standards.
• OCEA Labor Representative Charles Leon delivered the petitions and made it clear: employees feel their concerns are being filtered out before reaching City leadership. He called on the Council to match their words of appreciation with action at the bargaining table.

Please watch the video from the meeting below.

City Council members have said they value this workforce. Many even campaigned on that promise. But with just five weeks left before our MOUs expire, we need to see those values reflected in real movement toward a fair agreement.

Tuesday night sent a powerful message: Garden Grove workers are united. We’re paying attention. And we expect a contract that honors our work and our worth.

Thank you to everyone who attended, signed petitions, and continues to stand together. We’ll keep you updated as negotiations progress—and we remain committed to securing the agreement you and your families deserve and have earned.

In Solidarity,

OCEA

Publication Date: May 30, 2025