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Teamsters representative urges Imperial County to settle contract before June 1, cites wage and staffing concerns
Summary
At the June 10 Imperial County Board of Supervisors meeting, a Teamsters representative urged the board to approve a stronger counteroffer in ongoing contract talks, citing wage erosion, limited pay progression and recruitment problems for county positions.
Ruth Duarte, a representative for Teamsters Local 542, told the Imperial County Board of Supervisors on June 10 that rank-and-file county employees need a more “justified and respectable counter offer” in ongoing labor negotiations and urged the board to complete a new contract before the June 1 fiscal deadline.
Duarte said county workers have fallen behind on wages and career progression and described recruitment and retention problems. “Before people would say, ‘oh, I work for the county of Imperial,’ ” Duarte said. “Nowadays, In‑N‑Out students that work there laugh. They make more than their parents.”
The Teamsters representative summarized bargaining priorities including bilingual pay, on‑call pay, vacation scheduling, step progression for new hires, and protections against frozen salary steps. She said many county employees earn far less than supervisors and that only “very few employees” make more than $32 per hour.
Duarte said the union has exchanged counterproposals with county negotiators and asked supervisors to pressure departments, including the CEO’s office and GSA, to plan for employees’ futures. “It has come to the time that if we don't put you to the fire to make some type of agreement, you will not put your departments … to make sure that they plan for your employees,” she said.
Her remarks came during the public‑comment period immediately before the board recessed to closed session. No formal action on the contract was taken during open session; the board convened closed session afterward. Duarte asked that a new contract be in place by the June 1 start of the fiscal year rather than delayed into the new budget year.
The board did not respond to the speaker on the record in open session during the minutes provided. The county and Teamsters Local 542 are continuing negotiations; no settlement details were announced at the meeting.
Ending — The union representative asked supervisors who are new to the board to heed long‑standing county employee concerns and to avoid delaying contract settlement. The board moved into closed session on labor negotiations after public comment.
