Public Worker Correspondent
Read our editorial “The Significance of Strikes” here.
Orange County, California municipal workers paused their strike on October 21 after Teamsters Local 952 leadership announced having “made progress” in negotiations despite no agreements being reached with county officials.
Union officials said they will resume the strike if negotiations fail.
More than 465 municipal workers had been on strike since October 13 demanding higher wages and back pay starting from the expiration of their previous contract.
Local 952, which represents workers from OC Public Works, OC Waste and Recycling, and OC Community Resources, initiated the strike in response to unfair labor practices. Local 952’s previous contract ended in June, and the union has cited the county’s refusal to negotiate timely and in good faith as reasons for the strike.
Orange County had previously offered a contract with a 3% pay raise and no back pay in August, but workers rejected the proposal.
Municipal workers maintain the county’s roads, parks, animal shelter, and landfills, and perform custodial duties and mechanical work on county vehicles, serving an area of three million residents.
The strikers picketed across several municipal sites, including the entrance road to the Bowerman Landfill in Irvine and in front of county administrative buildings in Santa Ana, heavily slowing traffic. During the strike, trash collection at the facility decreased over 75%.
County officials responded to the strike by filing a 106-page complaint to the California Public Employment Relations Board on October 19, seeking to bar strikers from obstructing entrances to landfills.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors awarded themselves a 25% pay increase in June 2025, amounting to more than $49,000 per person. Meanwhile, workers told monopoly media they have been forced to seek higher-paying jobs elsewhere despite working for the county for years.
We are looking for worker correspondents: cashiers, drivers, nurses, construction workers, cleaners, warehouse staff—anyone who wants to report on what’s really happening at work. Share a story, a tip, a victory, or a fightback. We’ll help you turn it into an article. Contact us at theworkerpaper@proton.me.
Image: Orange County municipal workers on strike, October 20. Credit: Teamsters Local 952 on Instagram.
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