Hundreds of county employees flocked to the parking lot outside their offices for free hot dogs this week to celebrate the coming 250th anniversary of the Fourth of July. But most skipped speeches from county supervisors about the importance of their work amid tense labor negotiations offering workers no raises.
“Today our county family celebrates the 250th anniversary with the best hot dogs in Orange County,” said Supervisor Doug Chaffee at a Monday rally in the heart of the county civic center. “I hope our county family remembers their impact and central role in building America.”
The speeches come as supervisors are reportedly telling workers across the county, including the OC Employees Association, the Teamsters Local 952 and the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, that there’s no room for raises in the budget even after they gave themselves a 25% raise last year.
[Read: OC Supervisors Say It’s Illegal to Slash Their Salary Hikes]
“We’re not asking for the 25% that they received,” said Iriss Barriga, a member of the OC Employees Association bargaining committee. “If we’re not here, who’s going to be doing the work? The board of supervisors aren’t coming in to do that. Other people aren’t going to do that. Our members deserve fair wages.”
This year, county leaders disclosed they’re facing a $75 million structural deficit, meaning their recurring income is falling short of their recurring expenses and they’re tapping into reserves for the fourth year in a row…