Dear Members of the Orange County Managers Association,
In April, the OCMA negotiations team met with the County’s bargaining team (County’s Team) to begin negotiations for a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Over the course of two weeks, OCMA presented the County’s Team with 17 proposals aimed at improving working conditions of employment for our members.
On June 17, 2026, the County’s Team responded by rejecting the majority of OCMA’s proposals and presenting its own proposal. Rather than moving negotiations forward, the County’s Team proposal included multiple takeaways and offered little of value to our members. It was an unacceptable and disappointing proposal. We were hopeful that when the parties met again on June 24, 2026, the County would present a more reasonable proposal that reflected meaningful progress. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
Even though the County reported in the Board’s budget hearing that it has over one billion dollars in reserves, the County made it clear that it intends to save millions of dollars by ignoring the needs of county employees. While OCMA only began negotiations in April, we have made the same amount of progress of those that began bargaining in February. As of today, not one bargaining group has a tentative agreement with the County for a new contract.
In addition, the County notified its labor partners on Friday, June 19, 2026 of two new programs going before the Board on Tuesday, the Retirement Assistance Program (RAP) and the Part Time Plus Program (PTP). The County has the legal obligation to meet with OCMA on this matter prior to implementation. OCMA has made a request to the County to meet and confer on these two new programs.
With the Board in recess for the month of July, meaningful progress at the bargaining table with the County’s Team is unlikely during this period. Nevertheless, the OCMA negotiations team remains committed to fighting for a fair and equitable successor contract for our members.
To keep our Members aware of the Negotiations process, here are some key dates –
- June 25 | Current OCMA MOU Expired yesterday. Please remember that ALL terms, rights, and conditions remain in effect while we negotiate a new contract. There will be no gap in benefits or protections.
- July 15 | Next Bargaining Session with the County’s Team
- August 11 | Next Board of Supervisors Meeting: This meeting will include a closed-door meeting in which contracts for all bargaining units will be discussed.
As always, thank you for your support while your OCMA Negotiations Team works with the County to provide you with the best contract possible. We will continue to keep you informed of all developments as negotiations move forward.
Stacey McCoy
Executive Director
Orange County Managers Association