March 5, 2025

For years, CFS executive managers have gaslit and ignored you, as documented in volumes by 225 of you who took OCEA’s CFS Social Worker Survey. While your executive managers may not have listened to your voices, the County CEO and Orange County Board of Supervisors are listening now.

February 28, 2025

As you may know, the Orange County Board of Supervisors decided late last year not to renew the investment authority of Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich to manage the County’s investment pool of about $17 billion.

February 26, 2025

Thank you to everyone who attended our CFS Membership Meeting on Zoom last Thursday, Feb. 20. More than 100 members joined us to stand together against the inexcusable working conditions you continue to face at CFS prompted by longtime inaction from CFS executive management.

February 20, 2025

A union is strong when we leverage our greatest strength, our strength in numbers. This is also true when we are talking about the retirement security of County public workers. Your pension is administered and governed by a nine-person Board of Trustees. Two of these OCERS Trustees are directly elected by you and your co-workers. Currently, you are served by two tireless advocates for retirement security, Trustees Adele Lopez Tagaloa and Iriss Barriga. Adele and Iriss, along with the other Trustees, work to ensure all County public workers can retire with dignity.

February 18, 2025

As you may know, a critical CFS Membership Meeting is scheduled on Zoom from Noon to 1 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 20. Login details are at the end of this email. I encourage all members to attend, as we will review the results of the recent CFS Social Worker Survey and discuss next steps.

February 13, 2025

As mentioned in my last letter, I’ve been in the trenches with you. I know what it’s like when your concerns are ignored, when speaking up feels risky, and when the system seems more focused on ignoring problems than fixing them.

February 6, 2025

As you may know, the first week of February marks Court Reporting & Captioning Week nationally, and Court Worker Appreciation Month here at OCEA. I want to take this time to celebrate you for the work you do to ensure a just and fair society for all.

February 6, 2025

OCEA has heard from some of your co-workers about increasing workload demands and management issues at OCPC. We take these concerns seriously and want to ensure your voices are heard.

February 6, 2025

I am sending you this update regarding our ongoing efforts to address and remedy challenging working conditions in the TTC Office.

February 6, 2025

As many of you know, we recently launched the CFS Social Worker Survey to elicit your feedback on the challenges you face and the urgently needed CFS changes. We’ve received an overwhelming volume of responses, but we still want to make sure everyone who wants to contribute can—so, we’re extending the survey deadline to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.

February 5, 2025

Your District Attorney Labor Management Committee met with D.A. management Jan. 21, 2025. As you may know, the Labor Management Committee is a collaborative partnership between OCEA and D.A. management to achieve agency-wide goals, propose improvements to workplace processes, and resolve broad issues.

February 5, 2025

As you may know, your negotiations team and OCEA will return to the table to negotiate your next MOU with OC San this year. In preparation for negotiations, OCEA will be on site to meet with members during two upcoming visits. This will provide you with the opportunity to discuss any proposal ideas or ask any questions you may have regarding negotiations. You can join us at any point during the allotted time frames, as there will be no formal agenda. Please join us for lunch and say hello, even if you do not have any input or questions!

January 30, 2025

Your survey responses to our recent call for action regarding CFS working conditions have been powerful. For those who haven't yet had the chance to participate, we've extended the deadline for this critical workplace survey to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

January 28, 2025

Since your co-workers on the HCA O&E Organizing Committee appeared before the County Board of Supervisors to present our request for specialty pay for your program Oct. 8, 2024, a flurry of action has taken place!

January 25, 2025

We will commence negotiations with the City this Spring. Your AMEA Negotiations Team is preparing to fight hard for you at the table for the wages, benefits, and working conditions you deserve. As we prepare, one of the key components in this process involves your input.