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Orange city employees urge council to invest in pay and staffing as contract talks continue

City Council of the City of Orange · May 27, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

A block of public commenters representing city workers and unions told the City of Orange council that a 17.6% vacancy rate and proposals that cut ~ $150,000 from worker compensation risk service declines, and they urged low-cost retention steps while bargaining continues.

Dozens of city employees and union representatives told the City of Orange council during public comment on June 3 that staffing shortages and stalled contract talks threaten core services and urged the council to prioritize retention over further takeaways.

Joe Avila, president of the Orange Municipal Employees Association, said the workforce is under strain and that vacancies and burnout are widespread. "It's time to face the fact that the city of Orange is no longer an employer of choice," Avila said, noting a reported 17.6% vacancy rate and surveying members about…

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