More than 2,000 Contra Costa County workers voted by more than 90% to authorize a strike if a new contract cannot be agreed upon, their union announced this week. The union workers include those in health services, maintenance, licensed vocational nursing, as well as more than 250 different county classifications. They are all represented by the Contra Costa County Teamsters, which is affiliated with the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters union. Throughout the last few months, the workers’ union and Contra Costa County have had contract negotiations to replace their contract that expired June 30. The Teamsters said in a press release they have urged the county to “adopt a fair compensation structure that prioritizes equity and values the people that provide critical services to the community.” As negotiations continue, the union took to a vote to authorize a strike if an agreement cannot be made between the county and the Teamsters. The union said in the release that the vote participation had an “overwhelming” and “unprecedented” turnout.
The next session for contract negotiations with the county is set for Tuesday. In the release, Matt Finnegan, a Teamsters chief negotiator, said the union hopes to reach a fair agreement that addresses workers’ concerns before having to resort to a strike that would impact services countywide. “Contra Costa County has consistently lagged behind neighboring jurisdictions when it comes to compensation,” Finnegan said in a statement. “We are simply asking the county to implement a long-term plan to address these inequities to ensure that the best qualified employees can afford to continue to serve the public in the county they love.” Contra Costa County did not immediately respond for comment. The vote to authorize a strike comes one year after several strikes in multiple Bay Area municipalities in July 2025. On July 8, 2025, workers started a strike amid contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Republic Services, the second-largest waste management company in the country. In west Contra Costa County, Republic Services ran limited trash collection routes before eventually returning to regular scheduled service.
So higher taxes are levied and more people will leave California. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Low intelligence thinks prevails because they aren’t smart enough to understand economics. Most likely the whole system will crash and everyone will be poor because of such carelessness.
They’re due just what the rate of inflation is giving Social Security recipients get – 2026 was 2.8% – unless you’re in experience progression where your salary is stepped with experience on the job. City, County, State, and Federal employees should all be on a similar tract.
Precisely! COLA for one should be the same COLA for all. Food prices, Gasoline prices… they don’t change based on who you are.
Politicians say cost of living increased 2.8% for seniors, but their own cost of living increased 6 or 8 percent? BS! And the taxpayer doesn’t get a say in any of it.
Shocker as the contra costa board of supervisors voted to give themselves raises why wouldn’t the low people on the totem pole not want more money during there negotiations. I’m sure now in November CCC will be asking for another 1/2 cent tax added on to pay for the new raises and what ever added cost in there negotiations.
To help county from going further into insolvency, after contract is signed,
institute an immediate hiring freeze and a 1.5 percent reduction of forces
across all departments. Going forward a yearly .2 percent reduction in
number of county employees.
Sounds like the International Brotherhood of Thugs union to me.
Close, maybe. But No. You may be thinking of the SEIU…. That’s the Thugs union.
The function of Public Service Unions is collecting union dues.
Note to teamsters in order for your work stoppage to succeed you will need both DSA (deputy Sheriff) and CNA (nurses) to join and that is not likely to happen.
Wrong. DSA and CNA have always been “stand alone. CNA will probably support but the big ego boys of DSA think they are better than everyone so they won’t. They will need AFSCME, IFPTE and SEUI, which will happen as they won’t cross an active line
Funny how it’s constantly union workers that are sniveling about their compensation package while the majority of our countries workers do not get afforded those “union” protections. The old Avon/Tosco workers have been on strike for a better part of 2 months and they are still out there littering all 4 street corners leading into the refinery and then how about those pesky mental health employees at Kaiser that seem to strike every other month, always striking but never seem to be working or providing any actual service or benefit to those that utilize the services.