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City employees press council for faster progress in contract talks
Summary
Representatives of the Orange County Employees Association urged the Garden Grove City Council to secure wage, benefit and shift-differential changes before the employees' contract expires in about five weeks.
Assistant general manager Tim Steed, representing the Orange County Employees Association, told the Garden Grove City Council during oral communications that more than 200 city employees have signed a petition asking the council to press for a timely contract settlement. The petition, Steed said, asks for “wages that can keep up with rising costs, affordable and sustainable health benefits, appropriate pay for working nights and specialized roles, longevity incentives that value experience and retention, and a clear timely merit based pay increases.”
The council heard three other speakers on the same issue. Mariela Ortiz read a statement for Tanya Samoff, identified in the statement as a Garden Grove Police Department public safety dispatcher, who said she is the sole income earner for her family and that despite decades of service she is now classified as low income. Carlos Rosales, an OCEA lead organizer, and Charles Leon, an OCEA labor representative and second chair of the association’s bargaining team, reiterated demands for immediate wage relief, night-shift differentials and retention incentives.
The speakers said negotiations have been underway since early April and that the current memorandum of understanding expires in approximately five weeks. They urged the council to use its influence to bridge gaps between bargaining teams and reach an agreement before the contract deadline. No formal council action was taken during oral communications; the remarks were presented as requests and public comment.
Council members acknowledged the presentations. No timeline or specific policy commitments were recorded on the dais during the public comment period.
The presentations combined employee testimony about working conditions with bargaining-unit-level statistics and a petition signatory count. The council received the comments on the record; any change to compensation or benefits would require separate agenda action, staff analysis and formal votes.
