More than 465 OC county workers walk off the job in Teamsters strike

More than 465 Orange County employees represented by Teamsters Local 952 walked off the job early Tuesday, Oct. 13, and set up picket lines after contract talks with the county failed to produce a deal.

The strike began at 4 a.m., with picketing starting at 6 a.m., according to City News Service. The workers include heavy equipment operators, waste workers and custodial staff across OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling, OC Community Resources and other county departments.

What could slow down

The union says the walkout could delay road and flood channel maintenance, landfill operations, park and beach upkeep, and repairs to county and first responder vehicles. It says those services are used by more than 3 million Orange County residents.

The county runs three active landfills, Waste Dive reported, and the union said operations at all three could be affected.

Why they are striking

The union says it asked the county to start bargaining as early as December 2025, more than six months before the old agreement expired, and began submitting proposals in March. It says the county made no meaningful movement until August, and it has filed an unfair labor practice charge alleging bad-faith bargaining.

A central issue is retroactive pay. The union says the county has refused to make a new contract retroactive, so the months of delay cost workers wages they cannot get back. City News Service also noted that the Board of Supervisors voted to raise its own members' salaries by 25%, to more than $244,000 a year.

"We have done everything in our power to reach a fair agreement," said Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 952, according to City News Service.

What the county says

A county spokesperson said the county respects employees' right to strike under California law. "Our priority remains ensuring the continuity of essential public services for our residents," the spokesperson said. "We have contingency plans in place to minimize service disruptions." The county has not described what those plans are.

Where it stands

The first walkout lasted about a week. Workers went back on the job when bargaining resumed, LAist reported. After the two sides failed to reach a deal late Wednesday, Oct. 28, the strike resumed Thursday, Oct. 29.

Jimenez told LAist that members rejected two county offers, one with a 3% raise and one with a 4% raise. Neither included retroactive pay. "To receive no retroactive pay for something they didn't do, the members took it very offensively," he said.

What’s next

County and union negotiators were expected to meet again Oct. 29, the day the strike resumed, LAist reported. No outcome of that session or settlement had been reported in the sources reviewed as of Nov. 7.