Union representatives and city employees urged the Oxnard City Council on June 17 to approve contracts that would preserve wages and health benefits, and help the city recruit and retain staff.

What speakers said
- SEIU 721 members and shop stewards, including Sandra Diaz (SEIU steward and executive board member) and Alex Onnam (library employee and shop steward), asked for health insurance for employees and wage increases they said were necessary to keep staff in Oxnard. “We respectfully urge you not to cut our wages, our benefits,” Sandra Diaz told the council.
- Representatives of Operating Engineers Local 501 pressed similar themes. Blair Brim, business agent for Local 501, described public‑works employees’ roles — water, parks, streets and sanitation — and urged the council to negotiate wage increases to “maintain the staff that we have and attract future employees who want to live and work in Oxnard.” Ken Clench and Alfredo Trevino, shop stewards, said proposed cuts risked wage compression and longer‑term recruitment problems.

Why it matters: speakers said the city faces a labor market in which municipal jobs must compete with private‑sector pay and regional housing costs. Several said that cuts or reduced benefits would increase vacancies and raise operating costs over time.

Council and staff response
- Council members thanked speakers and acknowledged the difficulty of balancing labor costs with the city’s budget outlook. City Manager Alex Nguyen’s office provided a public overview of the city’s fiscal position in the meeting materials; several council members said they were aware of the city’s fiscal constraints but urged continued good‑faith negotiations.
- Speakers also requested steps to secure binding arbitration clauses in contracts; library shop steward Alex Onnam asked the council to support binding arbitration so disputes could be resolved without protracted litigation.

Outcome and next steps
- The meeting’s public‑comment record included multiple union speakers and no immediate council votes on labor contracts. Council members said staff and negotiators will continue bargaining and brief the council on any tentative agreements that require ratification.

Ending: Union leaders said they would keep bargaining and mobilizing members; council members reiterated the need to balance competitive wages with the city’s fiscal plan and asked staff to continue reporting on budget implications.