OCEA Court Bargaining Survey

The MOU between the Court and OCEA expires on Oct. 24, 2019. One of the best ways your Court Bargaining Team can prepare for negotiations on a successor agreement is by hearing directly from you about your priorities in the workplace and those of your co-workers. The bargaining survey is an effective and efficient way for you to communicate those priorities, and the results will inform and guide your Bargaining Team moving forward.

You can complete the Bargaining Survey online but before you begin, please review the background information below. All responses will be carefully evaluated and suggestions will be considered for inclusion in OCEA’s bargaining proposals. The results are confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of OCEA staff and the OCEA bargaining team.

Background for 2019 Negotiations
The Orange County Superior Court budget is significantly impacted by two external entities. The first is the State of California, which determines the overall budget for the entire statewide Superior Court system. The second is the Judicial Council, led by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. For many years, California courts have been seriously underfunded and Orange County Superior Court has been targeted by the Judicial Council for excessive budget restrictions compared to other regional Courts.

At the local level, the Court’s CEO and Presiding Judge (supported by other members of the Superior Court executive team) determine local funding priorities for our Court. Entering the 2019-2020 budget cycle, Court funding levels have still not returned to their pre-2008 funding levels.

As many of you know, your workplace leaders and OCEA staff have been advocating for adequate funding at the State Capitol with no visible assistance from Court leadership. Nevertheless, we need to continue to stand together and convince Court leadership that it is now past time for a fair and equitable contract. In order to win, we need to show strength in numbers. Completing this survey is an important step in that direction.

Before we draft our initial proposals we need to hear from you. Please take a moment to complete the brief survey so your Bargaining Team has current information about what matters most to OCEA Court members. Click here to complete the survey, and please submit it by 5 p.m. on April 22.

When working families stand together to fight, they win. Court workers can win, but it depends on all of us fighting in unity.

Publication Date: April 9, 2019