As you may or may not be aware, OCEA has come to an agreement with the County on a new MOU. The OCEA MOU’s (they have several separate units) have not only differences (higher) in pay increases from what OCMA received, but in addition, the OCEA MOU’s also continues Annual Leave with a reopener to discuss a conversion plan from AL to Vac/sick at a later time.
We, in no way, want to take anything away from what the OCEA membership received and we, as fellow County employees and managers over OCEA represented employees, are be happy for them. That being said, the message that has been sent to the Managers of OC is very, very disappointing, discouraging and insulting.
It is incredibly obvious that the County does not respect its Managers and, what is even more curious, takes specific actions that reduces morale, discourages promotions, negatively impact recruitments and encourages Managers to seek employment elsewhere.
While we know that the powers that be are aware of these issues, the real concern is that they DON’T CARE. We have received the message over and over again, “Be happy with the crumbs we throw you or leave”. The main reason OCMA was formed was to address these issues and in past years, substantive gains were achieved, however, with every new Board of Supervisors that are seated, we have to start from scratch and try to earn back some semblance of respect and claw for every benefit we can pry from the Board’s self-promoting decisions.
While the message they proclaim is all about the health and welfare of the County, underneath the actions they actually take undermines the very thing they want everyone to believe they desire. It is obvious that the County of Orange Board of Supervisors is merely a stepping stone by which Board members sit and plot their next move to where they can stick their fingers in the public pie, hoping for a seat that carries no term limits, say… a judgeship or maybe the DA.
We are not blind to these tactics nor should we sit still and continue to take it. Now is the time to stay strong and support the organization that represents the Managers. Many will question whether to continue trusting the OCMA leadership to lead the fight, for it appears that that we have lost several battles along the way. But to win a war, we must show resolve and not back down under the unnecessary pressure placed on us by the County.
The problem is that we continually are not told the truth. The County apparently feels that falsehoods are a proper part of the negotiation process with labor, a… “negotiations tactic”. They, however, hold employees to a different standard when employees are doing their jobs. How, with a straight face, can the County expect and tell Managers to be honest, ethical and fair in their jobs, when they themselves, by example, demonstrate the exact opposite? It is a travesty!
We are not taking this sitting down, nor should we. The OCMA Board is actively taking steps we feel could possibly mitigate this obvious insult. There are other things that could and may be considered so more information will follow. Regardless of the treatment by the BOS, please continue to do your job with integrity, honesty and fairness. Don’t let this issue, in any way dictate how you perform your work or provide services to the citizens of OC.
We are not standing still for this any longer, it is time for the Mangers to take steps that will force the BOS to give the Managers the respect we deserve and have earned!