More than 90% of county employees represented by the AFSCME Local 2703 labor union have voted to authorize a strike if Merced County leaders and union representatives fail to reach an agreement after months of failed negotiations.
According to Jerald Phelps, 42, president of the AFSCME Local 2703, the union represents more than 1,000 employees throughout Merced County including workers in public works, human services, animal control, agriculture and behavioral health. Phelps said 93.5% of Merced County AFSCME members rejected the county’s latest proposal and have authorized a strike.
This is the first time members have authorized a strike since 1989.
Phelps said one of the main issues is the rise in healthcare costs for employees. In September 2023, county employees were informed their healthcare costs would increase by 12.4%, effectively erasing any pay hikes workers had received in the years prior.
Phelps said the wages earned by many of the employees the union represents are well below surrounding counties. According to Phelps, Merced County is becoming a training ground where employees get trained and then leave for other counties who pay more and offer bonuses to employees. Phelps said that if the county continues operating the way it is, they county will continue to lose employees to neighboring counties.
“We can’t continue on just being a training county,” said Phelps.
In April of this year, the Merced County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the County of Merced reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that included a 10% base pay increase as well as a 10% increase in medical coverage.
According to Phelps, the county told union negotiators the county does not have the money to increase employee wages.
Phelps said union negotiators have met with the county since the first week of May and provided 32 proposals which included everything members said they needed. A majority of those proposals were rejected by the county, according to Phelps.
“Every year we go to the table, they tell us there’s no money for us,” Phelps said.
Phelps said union leaders were told that an initial offer from the county in December of a 10% increase toward medical coverage would remain and a small amount would be included on top of that.
“Still nowhere close to what people can afford in this county,” said Phelps.
The last offer from the county included a 13.4% increase toward medical costs and a zero percent increase to wages for employees, according to Phelps.
“Our members, they’re fighting for their families now, they’re fighting for their ability to stay working in Merced County, they’re fighting for a livable wage,” said Phelps.
Phelps said he knows of employees who not only work hard every single day, they are working two or sometimes three jobs because the county pays them poorly. Some people are even going without heating or air conditioning because they cannot afford to pay their PG&E bill, said Phelps.
The vote to authorize a strike does not mean that a strike will happen, said Phelps. At this time it is still unclear if and when a strike would take place. Phelps said that if a strike were to happen, a strike against the employer is not a strike against the citizens of Merced County.
“We are fighting to protect the services in Merced County so that we can retain quality employees that have experience,” said Phelps.
Phelps said union representatives will be reaching out to the County of Merced this week to set additional dates for negotiations.
“I think 93.5% rejecting of an offer speaks for itself,” said Phelps.
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