Sacramento County union members urge better pay, deliver 10‑day strike notice during public comment

Dozens of frontline county employees told the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on June 10 that contract negotiations between United Public Employees (UPE) and the county have stalled and that the union had filed a 10‑day strike notice.

The comments came during the board’s public comment period. “Our contract is expired. We haven’t reached an agreement because there’s a philosophical disagreement between the county and the union about what it needs to be done here,” said Seth Alexander, identifying himself as a business agent and co‑chief negotiator for UPE, describing roughly 15 bargaining sessions and a recent mediation.

Union members and bargaining team representatives said the county is prioritizing pay and relocation for senior managers while not making comparable investments in frontline staff who deliver services directly to residents. “The county is not valuing its employees, the ones that run the county sufficiently,” Alexander said. Other speakers…